Luck or Fate?
by MuHzA
Summary: A failed experiment to manipulate time caused the creation of wormholes that accidentally connected two very distinct worlds and allowed some unsuspecting people to wander into a wild reality they never dreamt of. Now, these unlucky few must find a way back or, at the very least, survive the dangers marching toward them.
1. The Accident

**Hello! This is my first fanfic ever, so I apologize if there are any mistakes, even though I have tried (VERY) hard not to make them and correct any existing one. I want to say a big thank you to my amazing beta reader: banshee-hime, without her this story would have ended up really shitty! So, thank you, yomi-chan, you're the best!**

 **I also want to tell you that this won't be one of those 'Oh wow, magic happened and I'm in another world, so let's go on awesome adventures or fall madly in love with a dangerous person' OC stories. I will realistically explore the plot, the world traveling part, its effect on the canon happenings, each character's development, etc, and will NOT guarantee a happy ending to the "main" character. (I say this cuz', although the story will mostly revolve around her, the OC introduced in this chapter won't be the most important person as I haven't got any great feat prepared for her, at least not yet).**

 **Being as invested as I am in this, I won't give it up but** **do not expect fast updates** **since I prefer quality over anything else.**

 **Pairings are undecided and any romance that should be included will be a slow burn. If you have any pairing in mind (gay pairings count), please do say, I'd love to hear your suggestions.**

 **Warnings: injury, swearing, character death, torture, and rape.**

 **Actually, I'm still considering that last one but the rest will, indeed, appear (either implied, mentioned or graphically described) in later chapters, when the plot thickens and a lot more OC's come to play.**

 **Anyway, without further ado... enjoy!**

* * *

A sparkly, burnt smell lingered in the air from the extensive hours spent soldering metallic sheets to each other, those coming together to form a gigantic, cylindrical machine now located in the middle of the ample laboratory, surrounded by numerous other projects. It had a relatively small entrance in its wall, below some painted markings, and its inside prolonged into various tubes that came out from the top.

Countless books, papers, and tools were dispersed all over the lengthy counter, some even falling onto the floor, a sign of the creator's hard work, who, no doubt, felt incredibly lucky to be given an opportunity to turn his dreams into reality.

A while back, he had begun investigating about time, possibly the most intriguing thing in the whole universe. It didn't exist but it so strongly influenced one's life, it was fascinating. A wonder about its true essence turned into a difficult mission of finding a way of escaping its grasp- or, if possible, to control it as desired- and the man had taken it upon himself to discover whether that was, indeed, attainable.

After months of research, conceptualizing and experimentation, he believed he had finally built the first time traveling machine ever, though it wasn't technically complete yet. There were still multicolored cables that needed to be plugged into a control panel, buttons to be pressed, switches to be turned on, and only when that was done did the machine come alive.

Finished at last, he smiled proudly at his masterpiece and prepared to test it by making some minor adjustments to it and praying to the gods above for it to function properly.

As soon as the cry of the engines echoed through the surface of the room, the man hurried to open its glass door, fit himself into the slightly cramped space and waited for the magic to happen. In an instant, the previous roar, warnings aside, turned into a deafening sound that bombarded him, closely followed by a blinding burst of light. Both lasted quite a bit but eventually faded, seemingly without having any effect on the environment.

Utterly disappointed, the man got out to investigate what could have possibly gone wrong. However, all of a sudden, unusual vibrations traveled across his bones and quickly evolved into a full-blown earthquake, throwing everything, including himself, out of place.

The last thing the man remembered before being knocked out cold by a piece of the ceiling was the blurry sight of several men running up to him while shouting something he couldn't stay awake long enough to decipher.

* * *

"Nothing like a Philosophy test first thing in the morning to cheer a person up, am I right?" Said a short girl as she exited the classroom alongside her friend.

"Ugh, don't, please. I swear I'm gonna kill myself if I don't get a good grade, I swear I studied for five hours straight! How 'bout you? Did it go well?" Asked the other teen while she walked towards her locker to switch books, as she'd have math later on that day.

"More or less… I left two questions unanswered."

"Let's think positively, at least tomorrow is Saturday." Fake optimism dripped from the girl's words as she finished the exchange and closed her backpack.

"Hey, Dalia, Patricia." Another voice made them turn their heads. "Where will our next, supposedly necessary, torture be?"

"In the weird room, the one used by the Fashion Designer kids, B1-15 I think." The taller of the duo, Dalia, as she was called, responded after checking her phone.

"Thanks." Their classmate acknowledged and went away.

"Monday we'll have the geometry test and, since you're going to revise either way, can you explain a few things to me?" Patricia asked as they were going down the stairs to the first floor.

"Sure, meet me in the library at 2 P.M."

"Wait, you're not going to eat with us?"

The girls turned left and reached a hall with wide grooves in the walls, where the students would keep their personalized briefcases and save themselves the trouble of taking their work home and bringing it back every single day. They searched for their own and, once found, roamed through the students until they got to their destination: the drawing classroom.

"Nah, forgot to bring food." Dalia replied nonchalantly.

"Let me buy you something, then, at least."

"Thanks but I'll pass. It's not like I'm hungry anyway, I had a big breakfast."

"..."

"Don't worry, I'll eat something when I get home."

"Yeah, in nine hours. We don't get to leave this place 'till half past six in the afternoon, remember?"

"Four times a week, how could I forget… Anyway, seriously, I'm fine woman, stop mom-ing me!" Dalia rolled her eyes and sighed simultaneously.

Then, as they spotted their teacher opening the door, they followed her into the spacious room and resumed their last lesson's assignment.

"Okay, artists, this will be the last lesson you will have to finish your portraits. Your next challenge will be to pick one of the surrealist images I sent you through email and incorporate your current drawing on a background inspired by it." Announced the middle-aged woman standing in front of the whiteboard. "More details will be given next week."

* * *

The following hours dragged themselves but inevitably passed, leaving Dalia glad she could, at last, have the break she very much deserved. She was more than sick of studying and not having any time to enjoy herself, but summer break was a mere month away so she kept it together.

"Dollyy!"

The youth had been preparing to go for a walk when a high-pitched shout distracted her.

"What is it, mom?" She replied as she entered the kitchen, where her progenitor was.

"Your dad is stopping by the supermarket, what do you need?"

"Ice cream! And cake. Buy coffee cake, pleaaaasssseeeee." She begged as she swiftly grabbed her charging phone and opened the door to go outside. "Thank you, bye!"

"Stop right there, young lady, where do you think you're going?" Her parent asked, brow quirked, hand resting on her hips.

"To the city's park. I miss breathing fresh air." She smoothly lied.

The last part was true but she was actually going to a nearby forest. Obviously, her mother would panic (and forbid her from going) if she told her that, so she didn't.

"But you just arrived…"

"I know but I really do want to unwind a little."

"Alright. Just be sure you're home by dinner time, sweetie."

"I will!" Dalia assured her and was about to walk away had her mother not caught her wrist.

"And be careful, ok? It's not that I don't trust you, you know I do, but… there have been lots of disappearances lately, not just here but worldwide, and the number is nothing short of significant. I don't want you to be the next."

"Oh, mom, you're over thinking it! Nothing will happen, and if it does, I'll call, I have my cell with me." Dalia confidently brushed the warning off, gave the older woman a tight hug and rushed out of the apartment. "Bye, mom!"

In no time, the cold concrete beneath her feet was replaced by soft grass and the suffocating pollution of the cars by the pleasant chirping of birds. Nevertheless, noticing something unusual in the familiar green tracks, she had no other choice but to pause her relaxing, little trip.

 _'Why is there a godforsaken house here, in the middle of nowhere?'_

It looked like it had been abandoned decades ago too, which was rather strange because Dalia had been there on multiple occasions and had never seen it before. The alarms in her head were immediately set off for this.

Being the coward she was, Dalia first considered letting it be and continuing her stroll, but curiosity and suspicion eventually won over and made her survey the mysterious residence, although she nearly had a heart attack when she first grabbed the rusty knob because the whole door had fallen off at her touch. After calming herself down and shushing her fear, she entered the house and was immersed in a sense of slight asphyxiation she decided to label as nervousness.

It baffled Dalia to see that the inside was impeccable, it didn't match the exterior of it at all. The outside was covered in vines, the paint was peeling off, the walls were dirty and it was a huge mess, overall. The inside, on the other hand, was nicely decorated with landscape paintings and beautiful, light coloured, expensive furniture on top of a shiny marble floor. Translucent orange curtains poorly hiding the tall windows gave the interior a very cozy, peaceful and welcoming atmosphere that contrasted with its cool temperature.

As normal as everything seemed, Dalia still couldn't help but to feel as if something was not right, the whole setting was... odd, to say the least. Plus, an inexplicable force had been pressuring her body the entire time, weighing it down, not allowing her lungs to expand fully- while a low, creepy humming pestered her ears. It was unsettling how the sound seemed to come from everywhere, instead of a specific source, kind of like it was the house itself trying to speak to her.

She was definitely ready to get the hell out of there, the goosebumps all over her skin showed her unease.

Notwithstanding, out of stupidity, she went upstairs to investigate further and, not even five steps in, heard muffled crackling sounds. Slightly terrified, she cautiously navigated her way to the exit and ran at full throttle until her legs' started failing.

Only the moment she stopped did she finally become aware of her situation.

She was lost.

Having been too focused on getting out of the house, Dalia had neglected to pay attention to the change in the scenery, even though it was completely different from what it had been just minutes before.

The trees that previously embellished the trail had been replaced by old-fashioned buildings made out of wood, in the same style as the one she had entered moments ago. The sky, which had been shades of orange and red when she had begun her stroll, was now a clear blue, as if time had gone back and it was morning all over again. The deserted dirt path was now a busy road and a funky smell had appeared, filling her nostrils in the most unpleasant way. It was the stench of fertilizer and animals.

Confused and out of breath, Dalia drifted a little bit farther until she reached the center of the village, marked by a marvelous fountain. She settled down on its stone edge and tried to make sense of the unnatural visual shifts- a hard task, given that even her phone contradicted what she was seeing: it read 8 P.M.

 _'Oh não, a minha mãe vai-me matar!'_

(Translation: Oh no, my mom is going to kill me!)

Not a second more was wasted, she tried to call her right away, however, there was no service. Not only that, but the GPS wasn't working either. She gave up with a groan and started observing the streets instead.

All of the houses were in near perfect condition but she noted they had an eerie resemblance to sculpted wax which, upon closer inspection, was confirmed. The houses were, in fact, made out of wax.

 _'Mas porquê?'_

(T: But why?)

Regardless, she kept wandering around in hopes of finding someone who could tell her where she was and how she could go back to her hometown. This place didn't look as if she were in Portugal anymore though, and the population was strange, none of them resembled a 21st-century citizen. In addition to that, it sounded as if it were close to the sea too, and while Portugal had plenty of beaches, Dalia didn't live close to the shoreline.

"Olá! Uh, desculpe, não a quero incomodar mas… pode-me dizer onde nós estamos?" She asked, once she had gathered enough courage, to the nearest person to her.

(T: Hi! Uh, sorry, don't mean to bother but... could you tell me where we are?)

As soon as she finished her sentence, though, the kind-looking lady screamed and attracted all kinds of unwanted attention. Attention that Dalia, scared and perplexed, didn't stick around long enough to deal with- she disappeared from the eyes of the public in a matter of seconds.

 _'Foda-se!'_ She cursed mentally, hand over her chest, supporting herself against a wall. ' _Qual é o problema? Que é que eu fiz?'_

(T: Fuck! What's the problem? What did I do?)

Then, she peered back at the woman. Loads of shady men were crowding around her, spurting sentences she couldn't quite make out. They were armed too, therefore, the teen didn't need to ponder to conclude she was better off hiding, despite not having done anything wrong.

Walking further into the sunless alley, Dalia spotted a few doors before its dead-end and attempted to open them. They were locked, obviously, but she knew how to break into buildings so she checked to see if there were any passersby, since she had a very vague feeling of being watched, and, the coast being clear, went for it.

 _'Para quem vive aqui… Desculpem!'_

(T: To whomever lives here… I'm sorry!)

In one swift move, she dove her heel into the ground and used as much momentum as possible to kick the chosen door with the other leg, right beside its lock. Said door was brutally thrown back, its hinges almost breaking off, and gave way for the young female to enter. Needless to say, she felt proud and the throb in her foot did not change that.

This home was not well cared for, she noted. It wasn't exactly nasty but definitely very messy, as if it had been raided. Everything was, on a relative note, clean but entirely jumbled up: drawers were open with the contents spilling over, clothes nowhere near the closet and so on.

Because of the lack of occupants, Dalia assumed no one lived there and, at her stomach's growl, maneuvered her way around the scattered furniture to explore the neglected kitchen, which, besides rotten food in the pantry, had nothing else to sate her newfound hunger. As such, she decided to go lay down on a sofa in the living room and wait until it was safe to leave. Yet, her plan was ruined midway down the corridor, where she'd stumbled on a nail that protruded from the flooring and stopped.

Dalia glanced down, momentarily puzzled at not spotting anything unusual. However, certain of something fishy, she tapped with her shoe on the wooden boards a couple of times. They made a very leery hollow sound so she knelt down and finally noticed that the wooden panels were, in truth, removable.

' _Está demasiado bem escondido… Alguém não queria mesmo que isto fosse descoberto.'_

(T: It's too well disguised... Someone seriously didn't want this to be found.)

Rapidly, but with some effort and the help of a knife she borrowed from the kitchen, she lifted them up and put them away, only to be faced by a very exotic, glowing fruit inside of a chest on the ground, missing its lid.

Never having seen anything similar in her life, as it was orange, had swirls and the shape of a star, she wasn't totally sure it was actually a fruit- or anything edible at all, for that matter. It was too strange, undefinable. For a split of a second, her inner voice suggested it to be a jewel, even. Perhaps, who knew?

She squeezed it. No, it was definitely not a jewel, too soft to be one. Fruit it is, then.

Why would one make a big deal out of it and 'securely' hide it, though, Dalia mused. Wasn't it just another fruit? Or was it valuable and rare? Sure looked like it.

It was most likely a very bad idea to eat it, especially because she knew jack about it, but not only was she starved and anxious but she was also too curious for her own good- her mother's words. It was not every day that one finds something so exquisite just lying around, she wasn't about to let an opportunity like this slip away, she had to taste it.

 _'YOLO.'_ She thought, guilt be shoved to the farthest corner of her mind.

Barging in, touching stuff that wasn't hers to begin with, **eating** said stuff... none of that really mattered when it didn't seem like the house was inhabited anyway.

After washing it properly and omitting the yells of her conscience, the girl bit into it, prayed for it not to be poisonous, and immediately regretted swallowing or even allowing the fruit to touch her tongue. Saying its flavor wasn't the greatest would be a severe understatement, it was like chewing the most disgusting mixture of rotten ingredients on the face of Earth.

It occurred to her at that: the fruit had been buried. Maybe for years, for all she knew. Of course it would taste rotten, what had she expected? Nothing, really, yet she ended up disappointed nonetheless.

Dalia slapped herself, exasperated, and set the rest of the fruit aside.

Upon hearing no more commotion outside, she hesitantly stepped back onto the daylight, cautious and not trusting of the population. In their turn, the population appeared not to trust her either, they kept a reasonable distance from her, whispered to each other and occasionally glanced sideways. She merely ignored them and marched forward, unaware she had begun being followed.

Deeper into the town, she saw a piece of paper glued to the supporting pillar of a big gate. Going by the coast right in front of it, she'd bet it was the town's entrance or something along those lines. The map that was drawn didn't ring any bells and the small text under was written with Japanese characters, but at least she found out the name of her location: Ventus, it was the only thing she could read.

The youth couldn't say for sure if there was such a place in Portugal and it was strange for things not to be written in Portuguese but she brushed those impressions off for there was no real reason to let herself be upset by them. Yet.

Due to a flapping sound coming straight from above, Dalia tilted her head up and was baffled by the dark piece of cloth she saw hanging from the portal. It had a skull, bones and a crescent moon mustache.

 _'Uma bandeira pirata?'_

(T: A pirate flag?)

She was no expert but hadn't the pirate age ended centuries ago?

At this point, Dalia wondered whether people in this town enjoyed trolling the visitors or whether they simply hated people that didn't belong in their community and used the flag (and horrible attitude) as a means to drive them away.

The more she stared at the flag, the more apprehension built up inside her. Her brain was going into overdrive, trying to rationalize the inexplicable (not to say, ironic) turn of events she had experienced that day. Where was she? How had she gotten there? How could she return home? Why couldn't she contact her mother? How was her parent taking her absence? Those were only a fraction of the questions passing through her brain at that moment.

Frustrated and drained, she walked up to the beach, laid down on the sand, watched the bubbling waves, and let the sun caress her skin passionately. It was probably around midday now, according to nature, but then again, nothing in her being seemed to accept that.

This was going to be a long day…

While hypnotized by the beauty of the view and too absorbed in her own thoughts, Dalia didn't put any mind to the ship that was anchored near the coast, to her right. She also didn't notice how odd the ship looked, how enormous it was nor how they had the same black flags she'd seen earlier.

"Hello." A deep voice startled her.

Rotating back gingerly, the teen was confronted by three men. The guy nearest to her had a truly unique blonde hairstyle and a big, blue symbol engraved on his athletic torso, visible through the purple unbuttoned shirt he wore.

"It's ok, you don't have to be afraid, we promise we won't hurt you, yoi." He said casually, taking his time approaching Dalia. "Hi, I'm Marco, those two are Ace and Thatch."

At his words, she examined his companions. One was black haired, only had some knee-length shorts on, heavy boots and, from what she could see, a name, his name, tattooed on his arm. The other beside, taller, had an outdated pompadour, a white uniform and a scar around his left eye. None of them were what you'd typically see, well, anywhere.

"Uhh… Kay? Olá? Porque é que estão a falar em Japonês? Estamos em Portugal… " She replied.

(T: Uhh… Kay? Hi? Why are you talking in Japanese? We're in Portugal…)

Their shocked faces almost made Dalia laugh out loud. Almost.

The three guys faced each other for a second before staring right back at the girl. They had not understood a single word of what she had said and the peculiar language she had just used left them stunned speechless.

"Manos, uh..." Dalia started playing with some of the larger rocks she found, in order to deal with the growing unease. "Podiam... Sei lá, parar de me olhar assim? Estão a assustar-me, sabem..."

(T: Guys, uh… Could you… I don't know, stop looking at me like that? You're scaring me, you know…)

Still no response.

In a final attempt to get them to talk, the youth mustered the knowledge she had acquired from the holidays she had (once upon a time) spent in Japan and tried to form a sentence in their language, as they seemed not to grasp hers. "I…Japanese speak? No, uhh… I don't speak Japanese."

One more time, they eyed each other to see if any of them had answers. Cluelessness was what they found, shining in their eyeballs.

After what felt like centuries, the half-naked man trudged up to her and crouched down.

"Who are you?"

"Dalia." The answer was automatic, though she had to will herself not to let her gaze stray to his muscular build.

"Is that your name, yoi?"

Marco got a nod from her.

"And is it me or does she actually understand us?" Thatch commented.

"Yeah, does look like it…" Ace agreed as he stood up and lightly scratched his freckled cheek. "Aww man, what?"

The trio distanced themselves for a bit, to have some privacy, and began talking to a- _'Aquilo é um caracol?'_ (T: Is that a snail?)- while Dalia considered whether she should run away or not. Those men appeared troublesome and she didn't want to get involved in their business.

"What do you think, Curiel? Could she be connected to them?" Marco interrogated the intercommunicator in his hand, speech low enough to stay unheard by any prying ears.

"Appearance-wise, no. I remember clearly, they had painful bruises all over, were dark-skinned and borderline animalistic. Extremely thin too." The snail claimed on behalf of the person on the other end. "They also didn't seem to comprehend us, but if their language is the same, then, maybe. Bring her anyway and show her to oyaji in their stead. The possibility is there and he could know something about these people who don't speak the universal language."

"Hum...Ok, see you in a bit."

"See ya." The snail widened its eyes before shutting down with a 'ka-cha' and the three returned, too soon if you asked Dalia, only to escort her to their ship, which, finally noticed, left **her** speechless.

Seriously, nothing added up anymore. A tiny part of her began to believe that she was dreaming or that she had been teleported to another world, or something, but the latter in itself is ridiculous, impossible, and the former... very unlikely, she could still feel pain.

As they walked through the deck, the crew parted and made way for them, attention fixed on the foreign youth. Guns and swords were all over the men and their physiques were heavy, scarred and strong, result of the kind of life they lead: a life Dalia knew she couldn't handle.

"Where...uh, where am I?" She warily questioned the pirates guiding her to a massive male sitting on a throne.

"Our ship, Moby Dick, yoi."

Then, he pushed her encouragingly toward their captain, she assumed, based on his posture and the unique, gravity-defying mustache.

The instant Dalia set eyes on him, she had an almost irresistible urge to escape and make a run for it. He was old and experienced, that much she could tell, the proof being his own body, a canvas the battlefield had gone nuts on, and the powerful, authoritarian aura he exuded, frightening to the point of paralyzation.

"Pops, we found this girl in town causing a ruckus today, nothing serious. She talks in some bizarre language, so we brought her here 'cuz we thought you might want to know about it." The guy with the pompadour, Thatch, if her memory wasn't failing her, informed. "She's actually the third person that appeared in this island not speaking Japanese but the other two have long escaped to the forest. We were to deal with them back when we first arrived here but after Curiel cornered them once, they ran away and were never seen again…"

 _'Do que é que eles estão a falar? Quem é que encurralaram? Curiel? Quê?'_

(T: What are they talking about? Who did they corner? Curiel? What?)

"Why did you not notify me of it until now, son?"

"'Cuz we couldn't find them so we gave up and moved on. Besides, you were too busy to be annoyed with non-urgent matters."

"Very well."

The captain observed the teen for a few instants before calmly inquiring her.

"What are you called, child?"

' _Oh meu deus…'_

(T: Oh my god…)

"Dalia." She replied shyly, shoulders tense and hands trembling.

"Nice to meet you Dalia, I am Whitebeard. Now, tell me, where do you come from?"

"…Portugal."

"Portugal? Never heard of it. In which ocean is that island located?"

"Atlantic."

The silence stretched.

"Interesting." Whitebeard murmured mostly to himself but quickly resumed his interrogation. "Can you point it out on a map?"

Out of nowhere, a map was spread on the floor by a bulky creature she did not recognize. It acted like a human but had an uncanny resemblance to a shark, definitely something scientists have yet to discover.

"Thank you, Namur."

Giving the inked sheet a thorough examination, Dalia noted the outline of the continents completely contradicted Earth's. In fact, there was only one, a line in the middle, and various islands dispersed through the two giant oceans it separated. Ultimately convinced she, at least, wasn't on Earth anymore, she shook her head to signal a 'no'.

"Then, can you demonstrate your language?"

Nervously, she decided to fulfill the older man's request.

"Uh… Olá, eu sou a Dalia e… tenho dezassete anos."

(T: Hello, I am Dalia and... I am seventeen years old.)

The crew members present on the deck surrounded her, bewildered.

"Sorry, sons, this is truly beyond me." Whitebeard confessed. "I'm not even sure whether this is one of the dead languages or not."

"By the way…" Ace began, glancing at his captain for permission to speak up and continuing his speech when it was granted. "How can you understand what we're saying but not know how to talk like we do?"

She shrugged, what else could she do?

As if on cue, her phone vibrated on her jeans so she took it out and checked what her phone could be alerting her to. It was a youtube upload notification.

 _'Ã? Desde quando é que tenho wifi?'_

(T: Since when do I have wifi?)

A light bulb suddenly lit up in her head. She still didn't have service but there was internet, meaning there was also Google Translate!

"Because they don't teach us that in Portugal." The robotic voice of the translator said monotonously. "One is only expected to speak Portuguese there, but I managed to learn some oral Japanese."

The crew collectively gasped and rumored to each other, excluding Marco, who remained collected, and the captain, who chose to express his astonishment in the form of more queries.

"What is that?"

The chatter died down while shaky fingers typed out another sentence. On a second note, perhaps she shouldn't have done that.

"It's complicated to explain. Let's just say it's a technological wonder."

"And where did you get it?"

"Portugal."

"I see... Is it only available there?"

"I think so..."

The seated man pondered on his next question and Dalia broke into a cold sweat.

"What can it do, besides vocalizing your thoughts? Can it be used as a weapon?"

"No, it is fragile. And a lot. I can read. Listen to music. Talk and see anyone I want. Play games. Go on the internet. And the list goes on."

"Internet?"

"Yes, an intangible place with all the knowledge of the world. Kind of like a library, but way bigger and more diverse. Of course, it's much more complex than that but..."

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at this statement.

"All the knowledge of the world?" He scoffed. "That is, not only a bold thing to say, but also a great responsibility. And, yet, you speak casually of it. Are you not afraid of attracting the wrong crowd? Not everyone is a saint and there are people who'd kill for what you have in hands."

"No, it's fine. It requires a password." The translator conveyed in a neutral tone, but Dalia was, internally, losing it. His warning had sounded a lot more like a threat.

Still, to prove her point, Dalia blocked the luminous screen and held it up for them to see it turn on again, with nine circles arranged in a square. She put on the wrong sequence a few times purposefully, to show the phone rejecting the answer, and lastly the correct one, to unlock it.

The pirates were awestruck and gaping.

"You just showed us the right code, though." Marco pointed out, apparently unfazed.

"I can change it however and whenever I wish to do so." Dalia retaliated through the electronic device, hoping they'd drop any funny ideas. "Plus, everything is in Portuguese and none of you can read it, therefore, you're unable to put it to any use."

"Is that so…" The blonde trailed off, staring intently at the talking object.

It was disconcerting but the reactions she had gotten made it much too believable for Dalia to be sure everything was real. This being said, honestly, the young female couldn't yet wrap her head around the fact she wasn't on Earth anymore, so, she figured it'd be better to have some sort of proof for both herself and for when she was to explain this crazy situation to her people. Should she find a way to return, that is.

Dalia tapped on the camera app and began taking pictures and videos of her surroundings, including the pirates, much to their puzzlement.

 _'Merda, isto não é bom. Nada bom. Como é que eu vim aqui parar? Eu não devia estar aqui. Mas como é que eu…?'_

(T: Shit, this is not good. Not good at all. How did I get here? I am not supposed to be here. But how do I… ?)

Suddenly, Dalia remembered the first house she had broken into. Could it be what brought her there? If yes, then, would it work the other way around?

Her actions halted for a second before she frantically searched for a way of disembarking the ship, all the while ignoring the confused gaze of the crew following her movements.

Whitebeard himself was very quiet too. Very calculating.

Not having found what she was looking for, she raced up to that Marco-guy from before.

"Would you mind taking me to the beach, please?" She typed out.

"Why?" He questioned back.

"I want to go back to Portugal."

The captain and his first mate exchanged a meaningful look with each other and silently agreed on their next move.

"Sure." Marco gave in, focusing on the girl again.

Her relief was short lived as blazing fire covered his form, transformed him into a huge blue bird. Dalia's mouth hung open in amazement and shock while he hauled her up and flew over to land, the brief trip nearly giving the youth a heart attack.

"T-tu! Oh meu deus, o que foi isso?" She scrambled away from the male the moment her feet touched the ground.

(T: Y-you! Oh my god, what was that?)

The pirate's puzzled expression made her remember her phone.

"What are you?" It said.

"A phoenix."

"..."

"I ate a Devil Fruit." He elaborated, though it wasn't that helpful, body normal again.

"...Devil Fruit?" She frowned and got up, carefully nearing the… monster, for lack of better term, and poking his arm a couple of times.

"Yes, a fruit that gives you a power but disables your swimming abilities for the rest of your life." He explained, finding it unfitting for her not to know what it was on the Grand Line, where users are extremely common, and slightly annoyed at the treatment.

"Can you do it again?" She hesitantly asked, unsure she truly wanted him to comply.

Instead of responding, he merely extended a single upper limb and converted it into a wing once more.

"Woah…" She was mesmerized by the bright feathers and unconsciously moved to pet them.

Though practically flames, they weren't hot at all. They were cold, in fact, and very soft too.

Slowly recovering, she saved a video of them on the phone, thanked Marco, and sprinted in the direction of the village. Now was not the time to admire his devil-whatever!

It took quite the time to find the same house, its exterior was completely altered, no longer dirty or unkempt. Her pulse would have quickened and her palms sweated, had she not already been a wreck from the unplanned workout when she finally recognized the building's living room decoration from a random window her eyes landed on as they toured through the streets.

Eager legs took her inside, door not locked for some unknown reason, and almost collapsed upon coming back out and seeing the pirate waiting for her.

Dalia tried to calm herself and think rationally. It wasn't the wrong place, she was certain, so why? Was it not the house's fault? Had the portal closed? Was there another way?

Meanwhile, Marco came up to her and noticed her distress.

"What's wrong, yoi?"

She clumsily grabbed her phone and wrote an answer.

"I can't go back and I don't know why…"

"What do you mean, yoi?" He pressed further.

"When I was in Portugal, earlier today, I visited this house and somehow ended up here, but it didn't work when I tried it again." She cursed lowly, wondering what to do next.

"You mean you are on this island by accident?"

"Huh? Yeah, pretty much." She said instantly, as she knew how to.

"...And can't leave."

"Y-Yes…?" Dalia recoiled a little, not liking where this was going.

"And don't have anywhere to stay, am I correct?"

"Uhh… I guess... Why?"

She watched his bored facial features momentarily fall into deep thought.

"You know, I'm sure Pops wouldn't mind lending you a room until you find a way back."

"I… Thanks." She gave him a small faltering smile and let her phone voice out her following phrase. "But I'll manage on my own, don't worry."

However, the pirate insisted and persuaded her into accepting the offer nonetheless. And, like that, not even a quarter of an hour later, she was once more on the Moby Dick.

When she was introduced to her temporary quarters, a storage room they had modified to accommodate a person, the girl refused to leave them due to being afraid of the crew and of the harm they could potentially cause her. Surprisingly, everyone was more than understanding and gladly gave her space to get accustomed to the unfamiliar environment, though this did not apply to two particular males.

"Ba-ru-co?" Ace tested out what he had heard.

"No, barco. Bar-cu." Dalia rectified him.

"Bar-cu?"

"Yeah!"

"That's such a weird word for 'ship'…" Thatch commented from his spot on the secretary's chair. "How do you say…hum... the word beautiful?"

"Linda..."

"Oh, wow..."

"How did you do that? The ri- sound!" Firefist asked, baffled.

"Li?"

"Exactly! Can you repeat the word, please?" He shifted closer to her, a concentrated look on his face.

"Linda."

"Rineda?" The freckled man's tongue twisted awkwardly, making Dalia giggle at the failed attempt.

"Linda." She urged him to mimic her mouth's movement. "Li-"

"Ri-"

"No, li-"

"Lhi?"

"Almost! Li-..."

Frustrated, Ace tried one last time.

"Li-"

"Yes, exactly!" She congratulated him. "Now, Lin-..."

"Lin…"

"Da."

"Da…"

"Lin-da."

"Lin-da... Linda. I did it! Linda! Hell yeah!" He cheered, proud of himself.

Thatch would have tried to pronounce it too, as he did in the beginning, but he had already embarrassed himself enough.

An unexpected knock, then, echoed throughout the walls.

"Commanders, dinner is ready!" A person announced while entering the space with plates in hand and serving them to the young female.

At the mention of food, Ace politely dismissed himself and dashed out, headed for the galley, where everyone was gathered. The other two soon followed suit but not before being assured by the girl that she really didn't want any company as she ate.

Finally alone, Dalia concentrated on the task that had kept nagging her the entire time, begging to be done, and opened the squad's chat to at last see the messages they had been sending her nonstop, including the numerous missed calls from a variety of people.

 **[21:12] Joana:** Yo, doll, your parents just called me. Where are you?

 **[21:25] Bruna:** Dollyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

 **[22:30] Bruna:** wtf, answer bitch

 **[22:33] Patricia:** Your parents are really concerned, why aren't you answering their calls?

 **[22:50] Bruna:** Dolly!

 **[23:01] Joana:** Dalia, your parents are worried sick, if this is a joke, stop it, for real.

 **[23:01] Joana:** It's not funny.

 **[23:23] Bruna** : oMG, PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE! Where are you?

 **[23:45] Patricia:** Are you ok? Did something happen?

 **[23:56] Joana:** OH, Come on Dalia… jesus fucking christ, it's been hours already

 **[00:10] Patricia:** Say something! Your parents, as well as us, are freaking out!

 **[00:30] Patricia:** That's it, we're calling the police. Please, be safe.

 **[01:04] Bruna:** They're not tracking her phone, she must have broken it.

 **[01:05] Joana:** Fuck, how are they gonna find her now? They already patrolled the whole park and there were no signs of her.

Dalia peeked at the time briefly, it was almost 2 in the morning there, and immediately sent them a message.

 **[01:49] You:** Hey, hey, it's ok, i'm fine and, yes, something did happen but you won't believe in it.

The replies popped up instantly.

 **[01:50] Bruna:** DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK, EVERYONE NEARLY SHAT THEMSELVES, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? ARE YOU OK?

 **[01:50] Joana:** HALLELUJAH SHE LIVES

Dalia selected the desired files and inserted them into the conversation.

 **[01:51] You:** Yes, i'm ok but I think I'm in another planet or world, check out the photos.

 **[01:52] Patricia:** Are you serious right now? Anyway, CALL. YOUR. PARENTS! They're having a mental breakdown!

 **[01:52] Bruna:** Dude, that's impossible…

 **[01:52] You:** IKR! I thought so too, but there's no other way to explain it! And I can't, I don't have service. Tell them I'm ok for me, please!

 **[01:53] Bruna:** How do you have wifi then?

 **[01:54] You:** Idk

 **[01:55] Joana:** Actually, I kinda believe you. Those pics and videos, especially the half bird guy, all seem too real to be photoshopped or drawn… much less animated!

 **[01:55] Joana:** But how did you get there?

 **[01:55] You:** I have no idea! I mean, today I kinda invaded a house I found in the forest near my apartment and when I got out- bam! I was in a completely different place.

 **[01:56] Joana:** But i've been there and there was nothing in that forest except for trees and animals.

 **[01:56] You:** Why do you think I went to explore it, Einstein?

 **[01:56] Patricia:** How are you going to come back now?

 **[01:58] You:** About that… yeah, I have absolutely no idea =/

 **[01:59] Patricia:** And what if you are stuck there?

 **[01:59] You:** I don't even wanna think 'bout that…

 **[02:00] Bruna:** Btw, we shared this convo with the police and your parents. They're going to take over now.

 **[02:00] You:** Sure, HELLO MOM, HELLO DAD!

 **[02:01,** _ **Message not delivered**_ **]** **You:** I'm sorry i'm such an idiot!

 **[02:01,** _ **Message not delivered**_ **]** **You:** Everything will be fine, I promise! Don't be sad nor angry nor desperate nor whatever.

 **[02:02,** _ **Message not delivered**_ **]** **You:** Trust me, I'll eventually figure something out.

 **[02:03,** _ **Message not delivered**_ **]** _ **You:**_ Why is this not sending the messages? UGH!

The youth verified the settings.

' _Que é que se passa com este chat? Ainda estou conectada à wifi!'_

(T: _What's up with this chat, I'm still connected to the wifi!)_

Perceiving that it was useless to keep reaching out for them, Dalia typed one final sentence.

 **[02:16** _ **, Message not delivered**_ **]** **You:** I love you mom, I love you dad. I'm sorry...

Next, she turned her phone off, to save its battery, anxiously devoured the meal she had been provided and laid down reflecting on the bed.

...Exactly what the fuck was going on?

* * *

Thatch entered the room without any formalities, along with Ace and Curiel, and leaned against the wall, bringing to himself the attention of the two males already inside.

"She's asleep, Pops."

"This early? Well, doesn't matter." Whitebeard took a sip of the alcoholic beverage in his hand. "Marco, I believe she said she wanted to return to Portugal. So, what happened? Why is she still here?"

"I don't know much about it but, from what I understood, she's by herself and with no way of returning to her country so I figured we'd help her out a little, yoi." The second in command explained cooly.

His captain did not comment.

"...Plus, that device is too valuable and I'm sure you think so too, Pops. We can't simply let it go like that, what if it falls into the hands of some idiots? Or worse, the government?"

"You are right but she could be dangerous, son. We don't know what she's capable of or who she's hiding behind her back. If she, indeed, has what she claims to have and no trick up her sleeve nor someone protecting her, she'd be dead by now."

"She doesn't _seem_ dangerous, though. More like a wimp, you saw how afraid she was of us. Besides, we're more than capable of taking care of her if she turns against us anyway."

"..."

"Oh, come on, Pops, how bad can it be?" Thatch intervened. "And are you really not curious? A girl that speaks an unknown language and comes from an unknown place?...Really?"

Whitebeard allowed a prolonged sigh to escape his lungs, a way of letting the quartet know they had won.

"Very well, have it your way." He succumbed to his sons' will. "Just keep a careful, attentive eye on her, you'll be held responsible for any damage she causes. And anything suspicious must be reported immediately, got it?"

The four commanders promptly nodded, making Whitebeard grin fondly.

"How are we going to do this?" Marco asked, turning behind in his chair to look at his comrades. "Shifts?"

"Why don't we just assign her to a guardian like everybody else?" Ace proposed. "She's not really part of the crew but that'd be more practical and convenient, we wouldn't have to change our schedules and we'd get detailed reports each day."

"Great idea, flame head." Thatch affirmed and ruffled the freckled man's wavy black locks.

"Who's available, yoi?"

"I have Baccu and Desta." The fourth commander said. "But both hate women so…"

"In my division there's Amihan, Juro, Yori and a bunch of others." Curiel divulged while counting on his finger his men. "The most experienced is Caris, though."

"Sorry, Curiel, but it'd be better if we didn't use your guardians." Marco declared.

"What, why?"

"They're rough. Intimidating. And while that's ideal to toughen up the newbies, it's not suited to handle this foreign type of people." Marco argued. "That's probably why the previous two ran away, they must have felt like they'd be harmed."

"Agreed." Thatch said. "For little Dalia, we'll need someone who is strong but that doesn't scare her."

"Fair enough." Curiel admitted. "But for someone like that we should search Izo's division."

"We can't, the scarce guardians he has already have full-time duties, yoi."

"Think they'd squeeze in another?" He inquired.

"Doubt it. Their newbies are a handful, hard learners, keep messing up." Marco negated. "Ace, who do you have?"

"Currently? Only Teach." Fire fist said.

"Humm… He _is_ competent, friendly and flexible in character, yoi."

"What do you think, Pops?" Thatch questioned, facing the mentioned person.

"Well… Sure, why not?" Whitebeard answered.


	2. The disease

**Why, greetings dear readers! Nope, I am not dead yet!**

 **So, I will admit, I've had this chapter written out for a long time. The only reason I only posted it now was because I just wasn't confident in its quality. I wasn't sure whether the OC's train of thought was coherent nor whether the remaining character's behaviors were realistic so I kept perfecting those, imagining myself in their shoes and rewriting accordingly over and over again. Even now, I'm still not entirely satisfied, however, I decided it's been way too long, I've made you wait way too much, so here it is!**

 **oH, and, on top of that, I've also made huge changes in the previous chapter too, changes that affect the whole story. The beginning is very much the same but keep reading and you'll see the differences. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **TO WHOEVER THAT HAS READ THE FIRST CHAPTER BEFORE 4TH OF NOVEMBER OF 2017: I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU TO READ THE CHAPTER AGAIN SINCE I'VE MODIFIED IT.** **Thank you! 3**

* * *

Dalia slowly opened her eyes and felt the softness of the cushy mattress beneath her. Though awake, she refused to get up and chose to stare at the ceiling instead. She briefly looked out the porthole by her side and determined it must not be morning yet, considering the rosy palette of colours with which the sky was painted. It brightened with each passing second, but the sun had still not risen.

The teen exhaled heavily as she snuggled the warm pillow. There was no use in trying to fall back asleep, she was aware she wouldn't be able to, but the comfortable sheets effortlessly seduced her into staying in bed longer. Simultaneously, the previous day's memories quickly flashed behind her eyeballs.

The forest, the house, the sky, the screaming lady, the armed men, the fruit, the pirates, the ship, the maps, the shark-guy, the flaming bird… She remembered every single unusual thing that had happened and, amidst confusion and disbelief, she was vaguely regretful. Regretful because her mother had warned her to be careful and, albeit she thought she was being, she hadn't truly been careful. Yet, she couldn't feel too bad about it since it hadn't exactly been her fault. How could she have known that house was a portal to a place outside of Earth?

Speaking of Earth, where was she? The most plausible answer she could conjure up was that she was either in another world or still in the same but on another planet, similar to her own. But how had she ended up there?

Purposeful, the young female turned her phone back on, ready to dig into the internet and find her much needed answers. However, as the chatroom's icon caught her attention, she decided she'd dedicate it some of her time.

Countless new messages were showing, the majority were simple and worried questions, though, much to her disappointment, it still wasn't able to load her responses.

Dalia tried her best to ignore the thick negativeness that threatened to swallow her whole- as there was no point in depressing in her circumstances, what she had to do was get out of them as soon as possible- and began reading, watching videos and, in general, gathering the most information she could about teleportation and universe travelling. Those were pretty much the two sole possibilities as to how she could have left Earth.

From this research, she ended up excluding the teleportation option, since in that case she wouldn't have been able to contact her friends right away, like she'd done before. The signals transmitted from Earth's satellites would have taken at least a few minutes to reach wherever she was.

Consequently, she focused instead on sketching out the rough notion of how she might have unknowingly strolled her way to another universe, soon discovering the white hole theory.

If one ignored lady Common Sense, who dictated that, because of the black hole's mass, everything sucked into its center would be destroyed, then they'd eventually come to the conclusion that there must be an alternative. After all, Einstein had said matter could not be destroyed (nor created) so, should it be caught by a black hole, it ought to have some place to go to.

Enter the white hole, the exact opposite of a black hole, a region of space that solely expelled matter and never attracted it. What connected them both was their own point of infinite density, called the 'singularity'.

In other words, anything that reached a black hole's singularity could be released through the white hole's in another universe, be it parallel or not.

Nonetheless, the question ' _How?'_ still plagued Dalia.

If there were indeed black holes involved in the whole ordeal, she'd be dead from the crushing gravity that she'd have felt by going through it. Yet, the most she ever experienced was a slight pressure on her body and a creepy murmur pestering her ears.

Not only that, but how had she been able to contact her friends? Sure, her phone could load pages of the internet and show their messages since all it had to do for that was to receive the radio waves and data sent from a router in Earth, but to send messages back should have been impossible.

The white hole was a one-way lane, nothing is ever able to do the backward trip.

Yet, and while currently she was incapable of sending her feedback anymore, there had been a solid 11 minutes the night prior (she confirmed it and everything) when all had been normal. How could that be?

Maybe she was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. Or maybe it had nothing to do with black and white holes but instead with something so much more complex no one had a way of knowing. Either way, how would she return to her world?

Suddenly, her cabin's door was opened in a brisk manner and the sound it produced broke the youth's concentration.

"Good morning, yoi." Marco greeted as he entered the space and neatly laid a cardboard box on the floor, next to the closet.

' _Ah pois é. Tinha-me esquecido completamente dos piratas.'_

(T: Ah, right. I had completely forgotten about the pirates.)

"Good morning." She repeated and gazed curiously at the box. "What that? Uh, what is that?"

"Guessed you'd want clothes so I took the liberty of bringing some."

' _...Isso quer dizer que eles esperam que eu fique aqui por algum tempo. Ugh, merda. E agora? Eu não posso ir contra eles, ainda me matam!'_

(T: ...That means that they expect me to stay here for some time. Ugh, shit. What now? I can't go against them lest they kill me!)

"Ah, thanks." Dalia replied, cracking a shy smile, and moved to examine what'd been provided for her.

The clothing was plain, thin and had no designs, but she was grateful nevertheless: her current attire was dirty and she didn't have anything else to wear.

"Hope you don't mind that they're a bit too big for you, yoi. I brought the smallest sizes I found, but, since we're an all men crew, the smallest might still not fit."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"If you want, we can always buy you new clothes."

"No, no. Really, it's fine. Thank you." She affirmed as politely as her vocabulary allowed, in accented Japanese.

"It's nothing." He brushed her off and took a closer look to her face before commenting. "Are you ok? Your cheeks are red, yoi."

"Huh?" Dalia lightly touched her face, finding the pirate's observation quite bizarre. True to his word, they were, indeed, slightly warmer than usual, but she figured it was merely a sunburn. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"If you say so." The male retreated to the doorway. "Anyway, pick whatever you like and dress up, I'll be waiting outside, yoi. There's someone I want to introduce to you."

Once Marco closed the door behind him, albeit confused, Dalia did as instructed.

In a few quick moves, she slipped into some baggy pants, a white shirt and her own converse shoes. It'd concern her the fact that she'd be wandering around braless, but, honestly, she was aware she was in no position to care for such a petty thing. She was already lucky enough the commander had been so thoughtful he'd offered her garments.

Finally, but not before being sure her phone was hidden away in her bottom's pocket, Dalia exited her quarters and silently followed the blond through an extensive corridor to the main saloon of the Moby Dick, an extremely ample, astonishing space, well lit by candle chandeliers.

Two spiraling staircases, whose wooden balustrade had intricate patterns carved in it, descended from opposing sides of the highest level of the ship and fused together in the saloon's ground floor. Ahead of them, beyond the plentiful couches, coffee tables, flower vases and the small, chocolate coloured fence that marked the limit of the indoor area, there was an open promenade deck that allowed everyone to enjoy the marvelous view of a clear, blue morning meeting the waves of a peaceful ocean.

What time was it? She wondered upon setting eyes on the sunny horizon. The world seemed to have halted when she was in her bedroom researching; that was how focused she'd been.

Regardless, though gawking at everything, she trailed behind the pirate closely and was instructed to wait on one of the available sofas as he went to look for a subordinate. Again, she complied and entertained herself by opening the camera app of her phone and taking photographs of her surroundings.

Due to it being still quite early, Dalia supposed, the men carefreely hanging around were scarce. Too engrossed in their chit-chat to put any mind to her, much less to the peculiar behavior she exhibited. A part of her was glad for not standing out like she'd done the previous day. The other dreaded for when that moment was to come.

No later than five minutes, Marco came back with the person he'd hunted for.

"Dalia, this is Marshall D. Teach." He introduced them. "Teach, this is the girl I told you about, Dalia."

"Yeah, I remember." The fat and hairy man grinned sweetly, showing his missing teeth. "Hello, nice you meet you, Dalia. Hope we get along well."

"Uh..." The girl, upset after having caught a glimpse of the three pistols he kept in his sash, averted her gaze from Teach and mumbled. "Nice to meet you."

"Dalia…" Marco rubbed the back of his head, moved to rest his body weight on his right leg and continued his speech only when assured of her attention. "...My friend Teach, here, is going to be your guardian from now on, yoi. You don't have to be afraid of him."

"...Guardian?" She briefly quirked an eyebrow, then frowned both. As in a third parent?

"Yes, guardian. He'll help you get used to life on board on my behalf. You can think of him as my replacement. If you struggle with anything just tell him."

The disconcerted expression on her face did not waver so Marco stifled a sigh and turned to his subordinate. "Explain the basics to her, I have to go."

"Sure thing, commander Marco." Teach promptly agreed.

Meanwhile, Dalia, who had understood she'd be left on her own, immediately protested, though as serenely as she could, since she didn't want to anger them.

"No." She stood up. "I...Alone, no. Don't want."

"I'm too busy to stay with you, yoi. Plus, you're in good hands, Teach is a good person and he knows what he's doing."

That statement had not tranquilized her one bit but she kept her mouth shut.

"Don't worry, he's trustworthy." The devil fruit user lastly said before he walked away.

"Foda-se." Dalia cursed under her breath, suspiciously watching Teach sit on the same sofa she had been on a moment prior.

(T: Fuck.)

The mentioned person instantly caught her eyes lingering on him and spoke to her for the second time that conversation.

"I don't bite, little kitten." He chuckled and patted on the spot beside him. "Come, sit down. I'll explain to you this guardian thing."

Reluctantly, she obeyed but settled as far away from him as possible while on the same cushions, only because escaping was unrealistic in that situation: she didn't know the ship, therefore, she'd get lost (and found) in an instant. And killed, too, most likely.

"I'll be as simple as I can." The man declared. "Our crew is massive, you can see that, and, despite having been split into 16 divisions, the commanders still can't assist the newbies through the beginning. So, they created guardian duty, where selected individuals take full responsibility of one or more newbies for their first few weeks and help them out. 'Educate' them about the ship and the crew, in a way. They guide you around, introduce you to people, describe the system we work with, what and where your place is in it, stuff like that, you know- until you can handle your own ass."

He momentarily paused and glanced up.

"But you're more of a guest and not actually a pirate, so you'll have a few privileges, like, for example, full-time protection and fewer duties. Although you'll still have to contribute to something here and there."

"...Okay…" Dalia slowly acknowledged, processing what she had been informed.

' _No que é que eu me fui meter… Proteção a tempo inteiro? De quê? O que é que isso significa sequer, a sério?'_

(T: What have I gotten myself into… Full-time protection? From what? What the flying fuck does that even mean, seriously?)

 _(A/N: To those who did not catch up, it's a way of keeping her under control at all times. He's not actually going to protect her, that's just a pretty excuse they're using to disguise their vigilance.)_

"There is more to the story but you'll eventually learn all of the details, so I won't pester you with those yet. Anyway, commander Marco said you spoke another language, Portuguese, if I recall correctly, that's not something you see often. If you would not mind, could you, please, show it?"

"...Okay." She conceded, hesitant. "Olá, eu sou a Dalia."

"Wow! That's awesome, what did you say? I only recognized your name."

"Hello, I am Dalia." She easily translated the sentence. Extremely simple sentences, similar to this one, she'd had them memorized ages ago. It was the most problematic ones, the ones with more than three words, that required her phone's translator.

At that, Dalia halted, her eyes widened and faint horror flashed in them.

"But of course, should have seen it coming." The pirate laughed. "Let's be creative! How do you say 'I love pies' in Portuguese?"

His inquiry was completely unheard by Dalia, her head was racing with other thoughts.

One day and a half… One day and a half worth of battery was all she had and that'd be if she didn't use it much. What would she do when it ended? She could, though poorly, get by when it came to communicating with those people but where would she get information from? She needed the internet if she wanted to return home.

Perhaps she could read books without it. Who knows, this world could have useful pieces of knowledge too. But she didn't know any more than oral Japanese, so…

"Hey. What's wrong, princess?" Teach interrogated Dalia when he noticed her unresponsive state.

Should she learn it properly? Yes, of course, it would be a huge advantage, more so in the future. More so if she were to stay in that world for longer than a few days, which, at that moment, seemed most likely, since she was completely clueless in what regarded her situation and a way to fix it.

But, who would teach it to her? She was all alone in a foreign place and didn't know anybody. Well, except for Marco, Ace and Thatch. Sort of.

It wasn't like she trusted them, she couldn't. However, they had presented themselves as pretty decent people- if the conversation with them the previous night had been anything to go by. Especially Thatch, he'd been so kind toward her. During their talk, he was immensely interested in her yet he'd tried not to pry too much, he'd tried to make Dalia as comfortable as he could, he'd tried to make her laugh and respected her when she didn't feel willing to answer a question that was slightly too personal- like "Tell us more about your family."- or complicated- like "How was this phone made?"- to her liking. It was hard to believe such a nice person was a pirate, a killer.

Should she try asking him? Something in her told her that, despite being a criminal, it'd be fine to rely on him.

Yet, at the same time, why would she rely on _him_ , when there were civilians, innocent, inoffensive and nice people in the close by town?

"Hello…" The guardian prolonged the word in a sing sang tone, waving his tanned hands in front of Dalia. Her gaze did not budge, lost on the obsidian carpet covering the floor beneath.

Except… there weren't. Back then, when Dalia had first opened her mouth, that woman had screamed at her, scared out of her wits, and called whoever those scary men were. The remaining population was absolutely distrustful too. But why? What could have had ma-

Teach clapped. Loudly.

"What?" She blurted out, at last snapping out of the frenzy of thoughts.

"Is something wrong? You kind of seem very… troubled."

The youth blinked, once, twice.

"I'm fine."

"And I don't believe you." He declared and the two made eye contact.

Teach.

She couldn't disobey the pirates, so, from what she understood, she'd be stuck with him in that ship until she either ran away or went home.

It was almost unthinkable to her to willfully depend on any of these strangers but… It couldn't be any more convenient having the person who'd stick to her like glue teach her the language she needed to; at least, the hours spent together would be productive!

Dalia grasped her phone and typed on its translator.

"I really am fine, but there's something I'd like to ask you."

* * *

"Ay, yo, slow down, Ace!" The commander of the fourth division advised his friend, who was currently shoveling chunks of meat into his throat at the speed of light. "I'm flattered you like my food so much but you're gonna choke, man."

"Wouldn't be the first time…" A male seated beside them quietly snorted, in no time receiving a dry expression from the freckled pirate.

"Gah, leave me be, I'm hungry." Ace pouted and resumed his frantic, almost desperate, actions.

" _When_ are you not hungry?" Thatch asked, using an exasperated tone that didn't do much to hide the amused smile creeping into his face.

"When I eat that blue and white sea king. It seriously fills me up." The black-haired man retaliated mid-chew.

"Oh, the Angelo dell'imperatore? Well, of course, the volume of that thing easily feeds a few hundred people!"

"Commander Ace!" A person shouted from afar and swiftly came to sit on an empty spot on their table.

"Juu! What's up?" Ace greeted without bothering to stop eating.

"I haven't seen Teach since he left our cabin. Do you know where he is?" Juu asked.

"Probably with Marco."

"Yup, I saw him passing through the main corridor of sector five with him." Thatch revealed, crossing his arms over the table. "But I don't know where they went. Why? Did you need something?"

"Nah, just wanted to make sure he wasn't dead. That guy never misses a meal, so I got worried for a second. Anyway, thanks." The pirate said. "And bye!"

The duo of commanders fell into silence once Juu dismissed himself and while Ace was too busy feeding his outrageous hunger, Thatch avoided the boredom of waiting for his comrade to also finish his meal by thinking about the peculiar girl they had met. It was hard not to, especially when every answer she had given had just raised more questions.

He wasn't a rookie, he had been sailing the seas with his brothers for years, yet how come he'd never heard about Portugal? The electronic device Dalia had shown them was proof it was an extremely advanced country, technologically-wise, and that alone should have sufficed to earn it an indisputable reputation throughout the world, but even Pops had admitted to not knowing of it and there was not much that Pops didn't know.

"Ah, that was delicious! Thanks for the meal!" Ace affirmed as he rubbed his bloated abdomen.

"Finally, dude. Any more and we'd be late for the meeting."

"No worries, hehe, I have everything planned."

"Sure you do." Thatch confirmed sarcastically before standing up and calling for the staff to take away their dirty plates.

"By the way, can we go to my room real quick? I forgot my hat." Fire fist requested.

"Can't you just get it after?"

"Of course not, I'm not me without my hat, I must go get it!"

The older commander sighed but didn't object again, Ace's stubbornness was very infamous throughout the ship for a reason and he wasn't in the mood to challenge it. "Fine."

They trudged briskly back to Fire fist's quarters, only for him not to find the orange possession.

"I swear I left it on top of the nightstand!"

"I'm not calling you a liar, Ace, but if you had, you wouldn't be searching for it…"

Ace grunted as he tossed the bed's blanket over and, at seeing it hid nothing, sank to his knees to peek under the sturdy furniture.

"Ugh, not here either..."

"C'mon, firehead, hurry up." Wailed Thatch instead of helping, leaned on the basic desk with his impatience growing by the second.

Their captain had decided the ship would take a route that diverted from the one they had already established, so all the divisions' commanders were summoned to discuss the matter. It was particularly important at the moment because they were to set sail in just a couple of short days so they couldn't afford to be distracted by a stupid hat. Plus, there was Dalia, who was still unfamiliar to most of the remaining commanders.

"I'd find it twice as fast if your lazy ass also looked for it!"

' _I mean… he's right… '_ Thatch rationalized and, though sluggish, began to open the drawers of the secretary, instantly becoming outraged at the contents of the first he laid a hand on. "Oh my- I cannot believe you still have this."

"Have what?" Ace questioned while shuffling through the entire closet.

"This." The other waved the newspaper in his hands. "Keeping the whole thing because there was an article on your little brother? Dude, I'm telling you, that complex you have is _serious_."

"Shut up, I'm just really proud of him! He was such a weakling and a crybaby… And now he's all grown up and even took down a big shot in East Blue! Do you have any idea how that makes me, his older brother, feel- to see him like that?" Ace argued rather passionately.

"I'm pretty sure I do. I'm the oldest of seven, remember?" Thatch commented and let his eyes absent-mindedly scan the page until they reached a small notice at the bottom of it. He didn't know what made him read it in its totality, since its tiny letters most likely meant it wasn't that important, but he was so glad he did… because what those exact same tiny letters revealed would, no doubt, change the entire game.

Almost immediately, he checked the date in which the paper had been issued, around a month prior, and shouted at his friend. "Ace, we need to go. You'll search for the hat later, I don't care. We need to show this to Marco!"

"Wha-?" The commander had no chance to respond as he was forced to leave the individual cabin by Thatch's firm hold on his wrist.

* * *

Morning had flown once Teach began his lessons and, alongside it, so did the majority of Dalia's discomfort around the man. Though she didn't exactly like him, he was easy to talk to and the more she did so, the less threatening he appeared.

Thankfully, he was also a competent teacher. His explanations were simple and straightforward, hence, learning had been a relatively smooth process overall. At some point, she had been so focused that the annoying conversations of others' on the saloon had become mere background noise. A side effect of this was that they both had neglected breakfast but Dalia didn't give it that much importance, she was decided on being fluent in Japanese. The faster, the better.

"Wait, what?" She asked, glaring at the various inked papers spread on the coffee table in front of her.

"Like I said, this one is 'aunt'. This one is 'grandmother'." The pirate pointed at each word's respective set of characters.

"But they sound the same. Aren't they the same thing?" She recited the sentences from memory. They had stuck to her after having had her phone say them for the fifth time.

"No, they aren't. Aunt is any of your parent's sister. Grandmother is the mother of any of your parents. You have to listen properly. The first 'a' in grandmother prolongs slightly while on aunt, the second 'a' has more emphasis."

(A/N: In Japanese, aunt is 'obasan' and grandmother is 'obaasan'.)

"But they sound the same!" Dalia repeated.

"No, they don't. Listen: aunt. Grandmother. Aunt. Grandmother. Aunt. Grandmother." Teach said, simultaneously switching between their written versions to facilitate the association of the words' sound to their visual aspect.

"Oh! Aunt. Grandmother."

"Yes, see? You got it!"

"Aunt. Grandmother. Aunt. Grandmother." She kept pronouncing lowly, in order not to forget them later.

Then, out of nowhere, a tall male with red, curly hair passed by and, noticing Teach, approached him, gave him a passionate hug as he plopped down on the couch, and exclaimed dramatically. "Teach! How I've missed you, love! It's been 6 unbearable hours, please have mercy."

"Oh, hi, Juu." Unfazed, Teach merely pushed away his friend's nearing duck lips. Despite the jokingly intimate treatment never failing to amuse him, he had grown used to it long since.

"What have you been doing? It's already lunch time, ya know? Are you goin' to skip that too?"

"Guardian duty. And no, we'll go in a bit."

"Guardian?"

Still clung to Teach, Juu lazily peered over his comrade to the other side of the sofa and spotted Dalia filling half a sheet of paper with merely two words as means to train her calligraphy.

"Am I dreaming? A real female? Here? Man, what a time to be alive!" Juu sent the girl a wicked smile she did not catch and circled the table to plop down next to her. "Hi there, hi! I'm Juu and you?"

Dalia flinched and finally acknowledged the redhead by looking at him, yet, she didn't utter a thing. Instead, she distanced herself from the man, like magnets of opposite poles, internally creeped out, scared and severely disgusted by his strong stench of sweat. When had it been the last time he had bathed?

' _Mas eu também preciso de um banho, né, não tomei um desde ontem.'_ She mused and took a mental note to remember to ask where the showers were.

(T: I also need a bath though, haven't taken one since yesterday.)

"Oh, don't be so cold, beautiful! It's just your name... It's not gonna hurt'cha!" He coaxed her using a light-hearted tone but only succeeded in making the teen hold her breath and clench her fists.

"Hey, Juu, that's enough, don't pressure her. Can't you see you're being annoying?" Teach scolded him.

"Fine…" He gave in. "Dude, did you seriously get to be her guardian? Juu is envious!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, have you eaten already?"

"Yep. But Miss and Coconut finished cleaning duty just a while ago so you could join them." Juu shrugged and glanced at the big clock hung on the wall above the staircases' junction. "Shit, Alma is going to kill me!"

"Alma? Why?"

"I promised to go to the antique store with him today, before our next duties started. And, as you can guess, I'm hella late. Man, he's probably fuming right now, he hates it when people are late." Juu, then, dashes towards one of the exits. "Gotta go, bye!"

"Bye!" Teach shouted back before turning to Dalia, who'd, during the conversation, tried to act like she didn't exist. "I bet you're hungry."

The girl's stomach, embarrassingly enough, verified the remark before she could.

He chuckled. "Shall we go?"

Dalia nodded and they both made their way to the galley, which didn't take them much time at all to reach. It seemed that the majority of the important sections of the ship were conveniently connected to the saloon they had been in, so, internal navigation couldn't be any quicker nor easier. Plus, there were signs indicating where everything was. Of course, the teen wasn't really able to read them, since she hadn't yet memorized that many kanji, but they were surely a big help to the crew.

As the pair stepped into the spacious hall, the divine smell of food hit them like a truck, along with the thunderous talking, cheering and laughing done by the men seated around the several stretched tables. Albeit annoyed, she admired the warm, fun atmosphere they joyfully generated- it reminded her of a family. A very large family.

' _O que é que eu estou a pensar, estas pessoas atraiçoar-se-iam à mínima promessa de lucro.'_ She reprimanded herself while pursuing Teach.

(T: What the hell am I thinking, these people would betray each other at the smallest promise of profit.)

The guardian was quick to spot his comrades and they were quick to scoot over in order to give them space to sit.

"Hey, Precious."

"Yo! Haven't seen you all morning, where've you been?"

The couple of men greeted Teach once they stole a brief, curious glance at Dalia's unfamiliar face. Though in different ways, they both appeared dangerous: one had a huge bazooka strapped to his naked torso and the other wore a leather jacket that had sharp knives peeking from its inside.

"Hey, guys." Teach replied, immediately filling his plate with his preferred type of nourishment. "I've been in the saloon, guardian duty."

Dalia limited herself to do the same and stuff her plate.

"You got _another_ newbie?" Cried the shirtless pirate. "How are you so good at that job? I never had a single _one_!"

"Who's the lucky person this time?" The other inquired before grabbing some bread and biting down on it.

Teach nonchalantly pointed at the youth beside.

"Eh? This little girl is in the crew? Really?" The man with the bazooka voiced out, incredulous.

"I was just about to ask who she was and why she was here… Well, that makes sense. Kinda." The knifeman confessed. "But will she be fine? This ship isn't exactly the most... indicated for a female, if you get my drift."

"Yes, she will. I am her guardian, after all." Teach grinned confidently and dug into his roasted potatoes.

"Somehow, that doesn't reassure me much." His friends simultaneously retaliated with the same sentence, sweat-dropping and frowning out of skepticism.

"Oh, right, I forgot." Teach suddenly blurted out. "Dalia, these two are Osamu and Cocco- but everyone treats them by Miss and Coconut. You can also count on them, if you need."

"Pleasure, Dalia-chan." Cocco, the jacketed male, bowed slightly.

"Same here, same here. And If this fella annoys you too much, tell us and we'll beat him, ok?" Osamu winked.

"Uh, Ok." Dalia shyly mumbled.

"I'm left wondering, though." Miss voiced out. "What brought you to become a pirate, Dalia-chan? You don't seem like a troublemaker."

She shrugged, successful in concealing her nervousness, and consumed a forkful of white rice.

"Don't wanna talk about it?" Cocco got a short nod for a reply. "Okay, there's nothing wrong with that."

The three men continued their attempts to get her to open up, however, Dalia ignored them and respectfully finished her plate, which eventually led them to stop trying and change the topic of conversation from her to something she didn't particularly care much about. Something about the ship's route.

Apparently, it would deviate from their predetermined destination, the Fishmen island, to go somewhere called 'Tsundoku' because 'Oyaji' had unfinished business there. Nothing that would affect her.

The youth remained patient through the wait, for she wanted to resume her lessons. However, the minutes passed, Teach showed no signs of being done with his meal and a dull, yet persistent headache bloomed inside her skull, along with a foreign difficulty in breathing. Dalia blamed it on the loud voices of everyone and on the humid concentration of smells so she decided to exit the galley and move in search of fresh air, lest she felt worse. Neither Teach nor his mates noticed her immediate absence, due to her phantom presence and lack of forewarning (she didn't want to interrupt their heated debate on the prettiest female pirates of the sea).

Out in the hallways, it took Dalia exactly three random turns to get lost.

' _Foda-se, porque é que não pedi ao Teach por direções, mesmo?'_

(T: Fuck, why did I not ask Teach for directions, again?)

 _(A/N: What a bad habit you have there, Dalia, it's the second time you get lost. Do you need to be collared?)_

Upon realizing her mistake, the teen immediately tried to go back to the cafeteria but, instead, on accident, roamed further into the private maze they called the 'Moby Dick'. In her defense, the corridors literally looked all the same and every twenty meters they divided in three. How was she supposed to mentally map that?

When, out of desperation, Dalia became willing to ask the crew for guidance it was too late: she was so lost she had ended up on a completely deserted part of the ship.

She resorted to opening each door she came across, though most, if not all, revealed to be mere storage rooms.

Meanwhile, her breathing had become more and more labored, her headache had progressively grown more intense and, to top those off, she'd begun feeling a tad dizzy. Nauseous too, something she could not understand the reason of. Was it the food messing with her body?

Nonetheless, she kept exploring and reached what she assumed to be the dorm area. The storage rooms had turned into normal bedrooms and, at last, Dalia heard the voices of people. She pursued them to their source and opened the door muffling them.

Inside were two people sitting down on the single bed, playing with make-up. Honestly- and perhaps it was from her malaise, but- Dalia couldn't distinguish their gender, they both had masculine and feminine traits.

The smaller person had a childish face, with its chubby cheeks, big blue eyes, and chin-length brown hair. They were rather cute, she observed, especially with their prince-resembling green and white outfit.

On the other side, their companion appeared to be quite the lady. They had their face painted like a Japanese geisha and their long, black, silky hair was tied back, but their jaw was strong and from the loose kimono they wore, Dalia could see a fit man's chest.

As if she weren't confused enough already.

"S-sorry." The teen gritted out through a particularly painful throb. "Lost. Uh.. I lost."

The two eyed each other for a second but didn't waste time and instantly got up.

"You're lost?" The person in the kimono questioned as they approached her.

"Yes…"

"Where do you want to go?" The other added.

Where? _Home_. She wanted to go home, wasn't that obvious? But she couldn't, so… where? Where should she go? Where was she even going before she got lost?

' _Ah… Eu não consigo pensar assim, esta maldita dor de cabeça está a matar-me!'_

(T: Ah... I can't think like this, this goddamn headache is killing me!)

An overwhelming wave of nausea nearly made Dalia throw up then and there, in the process giving her the answer she was looking for.

"Bathroom. Please." She feebly whispered, covering her lips with her hands to prevent spilling her stomach's contents on the floor.

The strangers nodded and were kind enough to accompany her to the place she requested to go to, only to see Dalia rush to the toilet and vomit her entire lunch once they'd arrived.

The tiled floor was cold underneath the girl's body but she couldn't bring herself to flinch nor to be bothered by it, it was more important to her to recall when and why her condition had gotten so bad- a task nearly impossible to even try. Although her digestive system had calmed down, the headache had intensified immensely.

Dalia groaned and wrapped her arms around her skull, in hopes of, somehow, alleviating the pain. It was bad to the point where it felt like her brain was going to explode and, no matter how many deep breaths she'd take in, it didn't get any better. The deep breaths appeared never to be sufficient to her lungs either, she felt like she was suffocating.

All of a sudden, a petite, calloused hand connected with Dalia's shoulder.

"Are you ok?" The brunette asked, despite being certain she wasn't.

"Uhh… I… I don't know." She falteringly stood up on weakened limbs, flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth. The two pirates stood by her and attempted to determine what was happening with her and how serious it was.

As Dalia took in her own appearance in the square mirror above the sink, she noticed a strange red spot on her neck and more peeking from under her shirt. She hurried to take it off, and all three of them instantly gaped, horrified, at the giant rash the white fabric had been hiding. It extended through her whole torso: chest, abdomen, and back.

The youth traced the irritated skin gently. It was neither itchy nor tender, her skin was still normal, merely red. But why? What could be causing this? Wh-

Suddenly, the person in the kimono picked her up, potato sack style, and stormed out of the bathroom along with the other pirate.

"Wh- what? Where...go?" Dalia conjured, slightly panicked.

"We're taking you to the infirmary." They declared.

The youth didn't protest, immobilized by the ache.

Ten excruciating minutes later, Dalia was laid on a hospital cot and examined by a doctor, who, having had recognized her disease, made its cure in a haste. Initially, appalled, he frantically searched the cabinets. Then, he blended in a bowl some powders with a purple liquid. And only after he burnt the mixture and let the girl breathe the smoke in, which instantly induced a peaceful slumber, did he reveal the results of his analysis. During this process, the two pirates had quietly stood outside the private clinic.

"Great job, commander Izo, commander Haruta, you brought her here just in time. Any longer and she'd have died. Or, if luck were on her side, lived with permanent brain injuries." The doctor said as he gathered with the pair. "But, who is she? I've never seen her face before, is she new to the crew?"

"Yes, she's new." Haruta admitted. "According to Marco, her name is Dalia."

"But what does she have, Dr.?" Questioned Izo.

"A virus nicknamed 'The Spy'. It mainly affects the body's ability to absorb oxygen and suffocates the victim to death. Symptoms include terrible headaches, cherry-red tinted skin, dizziness, weakness, nausea, difficulty in breathing, and confusion." The doctor narrated while scribbling on Dalia's patient formulary. "It's contracted via air and stays undetected on the body for some time, up to a few days actually, before acting up. Though, when it 'awakens', it usually kills the person within an hour, tops. Still, there's something… that irks me..."

"Irks? Why?" The 16th division commander expressed his puzzlement.

"This virus, well, it was supposed to be extinct- the last report was centuries ago! When it first appeared, it quickly diminished the population to almost half of what it used to be, definitely one of the worst outbreaks of history, though now buried in people's memories. Anyone who hadn't been given the cure perished. This means that every single individual born afterward is immune to it, and that's what I don't understand. Either the virus mutated and resurfaced... which I highly doubt because I used the same formula to cure it and it worked...or..." He gave his long beard a couple of lazy strokes.

"Or…?" Haruta repeated, gulping in anticipation.

"...Or this girl has no blood ties to anyone from that generation or their descendants. Meaning, she's not related to any living humanoid being of our planet."

* * *

 **Okay, so, let's be realistic. The human being evolved to survive on Earth and on Earth alone. Take a human to an unfamiliar environment and he'd die in a second, simply because he wouldn't have the defense mechanisms needed to defend himself from even the most insignificant little thing. Think of Christopher Colombus and how he decimated Native Americans with influenza (the flu).**

 **Dalia was extremely lucky she had access to medical attention, and you will understand exactly why later in the story. That is all folks, goodbye!**


	3. The Captain

**Hello! Here, have another chapter!**

 **I was thinking about giving myself some more days to proof-read this a couple more times, but I kinda couldn't wait, hehe.**

 **Enjoy~ :)**

* * *

Another beautiful and worry-free day, Marco concluded.

The cool wind twirled around him gently yet firmly as he flew through the sky, patrolling the area surrounding the ship in search of any type of trouble- be it enemy ships, thunderstorms, etc. It was a habit of his, he'd gained it to ensure the safety of his brothers after one careless slip had resulted in more damage than he'd liked.

Yet, despite the serenity of the situation, he couldn't help but feel restless. Who'd be completely calm while aware that the Government was up to something? They knew things the rest of the world didn't, Marco was sure of it, and that in itself was unsettling.

" _ **...co!" A voice echoed. "Marco!"**_

 _ **Then, the conference room's door burst open. All eyes were on the two commanders everyone had been waiting for to start the meeting.**_

" _ **Finally! We thought you'd never come." Jozu remarked, though was inevitably ignored.**_

" _ **Here... read this." Thatch quickly tossed the rolled up newspaper to the second-in-command. "Second page, last column in the bottom. Skip the initial couple of lines."**_

" _ **What's the fuss about, yoi?"**_

" _ **Yeah, I'd also like to know, bro." Ace quirked an eyebrow at the male beside him. "You didn't give me any explanation as to why you suddenly just dragged me out of my quarters! I hadn't found my hat yet!"**_

" _ **Ah- Just read it, come on- out loud."**_

" _ **Fine, yoi." Marco conceded before clearing his throat. "...For safety purposes, it is strongly advised for the civilians to beware of suspicious people. If any individual is spotted speaking a foreign language or carrying incredibly advanced technology, inform local authorities immediately. Furthermore, it is punishable by law if these individuals are kept hidden within the protection of any household- wha- You kidding..."**_

" _ **Nope… seems like Dalia is related to a very big fish. Also, by the way the warning is phrased, she's not the only one of her kind." Thatch exposed his opinion. "Which means that those two dark-skinned kids might truly be connected to her. And, in turn, to the Government."**_

" _ **Wait- I'm lost." Fossa spoke up. "What are you talking about? Who's Dalia?"**_

" _ **And what do they mean, foreign language?" Blamenco was confused too.**_

 _ **At this moment, the captain, who'd been quietly watching the scene unfold, pursed his lips in apprehension. His sixth sense was telling him that bad things were to come.**_

" _ **Okay, sons, sit down. Let's get this started already, I see we've got a lot on our hands to discuss."**_

A part of Marco was glad they'd encountered such a girl like Dalia. She was the key for them to understand what was going on right beneath their noses and if they were to remain in the dark, serious problems could strike their crew (and the world, obviously). However, simultaneously, another part dreaded finding out exactly what they were messing with. Since it's related to the Government, it couldn't be good and they might end up with lots of prejudice if they get too entangled in the matter as well.

"...uru puru puru... Puru puru puru…" The baby den den mushi in his trousers' side pocket suddenly began ringing. "Puru pu- kacha.."

Gingerly, the devil fruit user grabbed the tiny creature and placed it on his shoulder so he could talk and fly at the same time. "Marco speaking, yoi."

"Commander Marco? We've been informed by commander Haruta that there's an urgent situation that requires your presence in the medical block, unit 4, cot number 1."

' _Unit 4? That's for those with life-threatening diseases… what's going on, yoi?'_

"Did he give any detail?"

"No, I apologize, commander."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Alright, tell him I'm on my way, yoi."

"Certainly." The person promptly hung up the following second.

Meanwhile, Marco had already changed his direction of flight and was retreating to the Moby Dick at full speed, leaving a trail of blue and golden flames that would quickly dissolve behind him like fireworks.

Once back in the ship, he guided himself through the corridor with expertise and sooner than later, was beside the cot in which Dalia was still sleeping.

"What's wrong, yoi?" He inquired the duo.

Izou briefly explained to him what the doctor had said.

"..."

"This pretty much validates the theory we came up with in the meeting." Haruta commented.

The blonde looked at him, indicating that he had his attention and was waiting for him to continue.

"I mean, the fact that she contracted a disease the whole world is immune from only proves to us how isolated that country really is." Haruta affirmed. "What I can't understand is how the Government managed to keep them a secret. Especially when they clearly are more advanced and possess more knowledge than anyone else. And for how long has this been going on?"

"But, Haruta, another thing that could explain her lack of immunity would be experimentation. They might be trying to create a new type of humanoid species to use as weapons or something." Izou hypothesized. "In other words, Dalia might have been artificially bred in a laboratory and raised in a secluded place that might not even have been an island. Remember that Pops said she couldn't point out on the map where her island was?"

"Now that you mention it…" Haruta contemplated the other's perspective.

On the other side of the hospital cot, across from the chairs the pair was sat in discussing, Marco had his gaze fixed on Dalia.

So much mystery was surrounding her… Regardless of where she came from, why had she… or rather, her kind only popped into existence then? Had something happened in Portugal that had enabled them to escape? The government wouldn't be after them if their release had been intentional.

Dalia had mentioned that one moment she'd been in her country and on the next, she was there in Ventus. How could that be? Either the youth was lying or she was too naive or carefree to understand whatever she went through. Perhaps, the Government officials had messed up somehow. Perhaps there had been a momentary lapse in their supervision and that had resulted in an incident in which the natives wriggled out of the island. Even if unaware of it.

Countless questions and the respective plausible answers flooded Marco's mind, he could already feel a headache approaching.

Unhurried in his steps, he marched up to the den den mushi installed at the corner of the room (there was one in each unit, for convenience) and established contact with the call center to ask them to track Teach, update him on his protectee's condition and alert him that he was to go to the medical room they were currently in.

After he finished the call, he transformed back into a phoenix and settled down on top of Dalia on the bed, making sure to cover her entire frame with the length of his own. The flames would allow her body to recover fast, and the faster she recovered, the faster they'd be able to interrogate her. Plus, it would be another step towards earning her trust.

"Izou." Marco said, causing the duo to pause their conversation. "Go find the doctor again."

"Sure, but why?" Said male accepted the order and stood up.

"If Dalia caught this virus, chances are she's going to catch all of them, and some more, yoi. We need to strengthen her immune system so, today, the doctor needs to formulate a plan on how we can do that and put it into action as early as possible. We can't let her die."

"True… Ok, I'll be right back." Izou agreed before leaving the room along with Haruta, for they hadn't yet finished debating about their ideas.

Lulled by the imposing silence, by the quietness, Marco allowed himself to nap a little until the creaking of the door being opened pulled him out of unconsciousness.

"Comman-" Teach began, being immediately interrupted by his superior.

"You had one job: keep an eye on her." Marco scolded.

The Guardian remained still. "..."

"Yet, you were nowhere to be seen when the girl showed symptoms of being sick. Have you forgotten she's your responsibility? Where were you?"

"I was in the cafeteria, I had taken her to eat lunch. I sincerely apologize commander, but she never told me she'd be leaving my side. I didn't th-"

"She's not obligated to tell you anything, and most likely will not, seeing that she doesn't trust us the slightest bit." The co-captain stated calmly, not moving from his spot. "That's why you were told to watch over her, ultimately she'll do whatever she wants, as much as we let her of course, and you were to make sure to keep us updated on that."

"I- I'm sorry, commander." Teach's head hung low. "I'll pay more attention from now on."

Marco didn't suppress the heavy sigh that left his lungs.

"We're counting on you, yoi. Now leave, you're off guardian duty until tomorrow."

The pirate obeyed soundlessly.

* * *

By the time Dalia fully woke up again, two days after, the Moby Dick had set sail to Tsundoku and she'd already received several vaccines, the most critical ones.

The vaccines, although proven through studies that were safe, health-wise, to be given together at once, had nonetheless caused a high fever and made her unable to be conscious for too long. Thankfully for the young female, Marco had stayed with her a considerable amount of hours to help her feel the least pain possible during the process, as well as to speed it up.

"Mn…" Dalia hummed, writhing feebly under the big bird nestled on her abdomen, deep in its sleep.

It wasn't as if it were heavy, the pressure was rather pleasant- and the flaming feathers so undeniably refreshing- but her muscles ached to stretch and move so, very gently, she tried to slide it off her.

Despite her efforts, Marco rose from his slumber anyway and hopped down the bed onto the floor, where he swiftly regained his human form.

"How are you feeling, yoi?" He yawned.

"Uh...good…?" The youth replied, not sure whether she was doubting her Japanese or her physique's state.

"...Are you hungry?"

Truthfully, she wasn't- but better to eat than not, so she agreed. "Yes."

"I'll go tell Teach to bring you something to munch on." Marco affirmed before exiting the medical unit.

None of them uttered a word when he returned.

Leaning against the wall, the male observed Dalia while she balanced her weight on her feet.

"You'll be staying in this room for a few days." Marco finally broke the silence engulfing them both.

Dalia fixed her focus on him. "Why?"

"You got sick, two days ago, yoi. We suspect you'll get sick again, so we'll make you stay here until the doctor declares your immune system to be strong enough. You'll receive plenty of vaccines and remedies in the meantime. In fact, the cause of your prolonged unwellness was exactly that. We've already given you the most important ones."

The suspicion in the teen's eyes lasted merely a second, yet the commander still noticed the way they had squinted.

"You should sit down." He recommended. "I have a few questions for you."

"...Okay." She conceded, hand instinctively traveling to her pants, discreet in the manner it hunted for her phone, should she need it.

"Looking for this?" Marco sneaked out said device from behind him and examined it nonchalantly.

Dalia couldn't disguise her shock. "Wha-"

"It kept ringing while you were out."

Another moment of silence.

The girl wasn't able to fathom anything to say so she willed herself to maintain her cool as the man intently regarded her cellphone and prayed he wouldn't break it or anything alike.

"...There was the face of a woman on the screen, including two circles beneath, a red one and a green one." He continued his speech.

For some reason, it seemed to Dalia like the world had frozen at that point. She was pretty sure it had been her mother. It was the sole person with a photo attached to the contact.

"I didn't know what to do so I simply touched them. First the red one. It made the ringing stop." Marco revealed, seemingly bored. "Then, I pressed the green one..."

Dalia took a sharp intake of air. The pirate had lifted his half-lidded, emotionless eyes from the phone to stare at her.

"...And heard several people talking with a tone that even the most clueless idiot would distinguish as panic or concern." At last, he averted his attention to the porthole on his left side and watched the midday sunlight shine through the glass. "Fair to say, I didn't comprehend anything of what they said, so I chose not to say anything back."

Without a warning, Marco detached his body from the wooden surface it had been leaning on, walked up to the bed and delicately gave Dalia her phone.

"Who were they, yoi?"

He sat down on one of the basic wooden chairs around the cot.

"Family." She confessed once certain that the device was whole and functioning.

"Why did they sound so distressed?"

To answer this, Dalia relied on her translator, using the opportunity to take a quick peek at the battery percentage. Sixty-four percent, not bad considering she used it quite a bit already. Though, it had been full when she'd left her home.

"Probably because they don't know where I am, if I'm well or if I'll return. Wouldn't you be worried if someone dear to you suddenly vanished?"

"I suppose I would…" The commander trailed off. "Could you elaborate a little on how you vanished from Portugal? And why is it that you don't tell them where you are when you clearly have the means to communicate with them? Also, what's stopping you from returning?"

For a few seconds, all that was heard was the tapping on the screen.

"I already told you. When I was in Portugal I entered an abandoned house and when I left it, I was here. I don't know how I got here so I don't know how to go back either. And about not telling them, I did, tried to, but the signal was cut pretty much immediately so I couldn't talk too much. Only tell them I wasn't in Portugal anymore."

"Why was the signal cut off? Do you have any idea?"

"Because I'm too far away from Portugal. I mean, no, that's not the real reason but it's not like you'd comprehend the truth so..."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"It's too complicated, seriously. You'll think I'm crazy."

"It won't phase me, I've been on the Grand Line for too long."

 _Grand Line?_ Dalia frowned. Must be a place in that world, she briefly reckoned before considering her options. Should she tell him everything? How would he react? Would he believe her? Would he know anything about universe traveling? Would he help her? Would he have harmful ulterior motives if he did, indeed, help?

This time around, it was her who looked out the circular window. The ship was in motion and the island far, far away. She was truly trapped.

' _Tanto faz, não tenho nada a perder.'_ Dalia told herself.

(T: Whatever, I have nothing to lose.)

"Fine." She finally gave in.

And a deep inhale later, she was ready to spill the beans.

"To sum it up, I came from another world. I became certain of it when you showed me a map of your planet, it was completely unfamiliar. I don't know how, but a portal must have opened in the house I was in and because that was a one-way thing, I couldn't go back. At least that's what I think."

Well, that was not what Marco had expected to hear.

"I can't contact my people properly now because… uh, probably because the signals my phone sends back, like myself, don't go through the portal."

At that, both fell still.

"Are… are you serious right now, yoi?" The pirate fought off the urge to let his visage show any astonishment.

"Dead serious." The phone voiced in her stead.

Marco was dumbfounded.

In addition to that, it was hard to discern whether the youth was being dishonest or not, the way the device read the sentences was monotonous and revealed nothing. Thus, a huge internal conflict ensued. Should he take her words as the truth or not?

"Can you show me a map of your world, yoi?"

"Sure." Dalia said, swiftly opening google and handing the phone to the blonde when it displayed the desired image.

It took Marco merely a few seconds to connect the pieces of the puzzle together.

A foreign language, a foreign country, a foreign ocean, foreign technology, an entirely defenseless immune system, the newspaper, the strange, hostile kids…

He could conjure a why- for power, to have the upper hand against their enemies; maybe out of pure curiosity. But _how_? How did they manage to connect two worlds?

' _Plus, there's no way that's not dangerous. What is the Government thinking?!'_

Though, wait. He didn't have evidence that it had been their scientists that had done it. Still, he couldn't believe they hadn't. How else would they know of everything prior to anyone else?

Suddenly, the pair was startled by Teach as he excused himself and came into the room with a plate of food in one hand and a glass filled with water on the other.

"Commander, I've brought what you asked." He announced, setting the plate on Dalia's lap and putting the glass on the nearby nightstand.

"T-Thanks, yoi."

"Uh… can...I…?" Dalia brokenly questioned while switching between facing him and eyeing the sandwiches.

"Go ahead." Marco permitted. "Teach, could you stay outside for a moment?"

"Of course, commander." The bulky man complied.

As soon as he was out of sight, the blonde turned to the youth. "Don't tell that to anyone else, yoi. Got it?"

She hesitantly nodded. "Do you believe me?"

"Hard not to, yoi." He rubbed his temples with his calloused fingers. "Anyway, we'll talk again later, this was enough for today. Rest, I'll be going."

"Okay."

Following that, Marco would have stood had he not remembered a certain sentence uttered by the electronic device three days prior. "...Ah, one last thing, just to confirm, yoi."

Dalia's curious expression urged him to articulate his question.

"The knowledge you claimed the 'internet' to have is about _your_ world, right?"

"Yup."

"So you know nothing of us or this world, right?"

"Yeah."

...Now it also made sense to the pirate why, despite being on the Grand Line, she'd freaked out at his phoenix form the day they'd met. More so because there weren't too many people who didn't know who he was.

"I see."

Then, Marco abandoned the comfort of his seat and leisurely trudged out of the room, his spot soon being replaced by the teen's Guardian.

* * *

Dalia sighed in sync with the sound of the door clicking shut that followed her Guardian's leave.

At long last, solitude.

After Marco had gone to who-knows-where, the teen had finished her meal, taken a quick shower and resumed her Japanese lessons with Teach until it was dinner time. Meaning, she didn't have a chance to reflect on her actions nor to try calling her mother back.

Since the former was slightly less urgent at the moment, she concentrated on the call.

However, the phone didn't even ring.

"Claro..." Dalia muttered. Albeit disappointed, she'd expected as much.

(A/N: Literally, 'Claro' means 'Bright' but it has the same meaning as ' _Of course_ ', in this context.)

Next, she checked the chat. There were a few messages, concerned and desperate, but way fewer in number than before. As she glared at the sentences, she suddenly took notice of the dates above. In a matter of two days, that she'd spent unconscious, a whole week had passed in her world!

Dalia almost panicked.

Did her family and friends think she was dead already? Had they given up on her? Was that why they didn't try to communicate with her that much?

She gritted her teeth and buried her head in her hands. Everything was just _so_ utterly out of her control… It frustrated her to no end. Why couldn't she just return? She hadn't done anything to go to that alternative universe, after all.

"A sério que o tempo passa a ritmos diferentes?!" She bitterly whispered.

(T: Is it for real that time beats at different rates?!)

In spite of her irritation, the youth turned her phone off and pushed the negativeness to the back of her mind so that she could enjoy consuming the food the nurses had kindly provided for her a bit earlier.

Not earlier than the moment she'd declared the task of feeding herself done, her doctor joined her, intent on fulfilling his duty of caring for her health.

"So, how many shots are you willing to take, Miss?" He playfully questioned while disinfecting her deltoids.

"Ugh…Zero." Dalia dead-panned.

The aged man chuckled lightly. "That can't be, we need to give you at least three each day. Or else, you'll be at a higher risk of catching perfectly preventable diseases."

"No…" She pouted, aware that she was behaving childishly but not stopping her antics.

"Think of it like this." He joined a thin needle to a syringe and filled the latter with the liquid content of a vaccine dial. "The more you take today, the less you'll have to take in the future."

To reassure her, the doctor grinned calmly. "Don't worry, I'll make it not hurt."

"Okay." Dalia huffed.

The needle stung when it pierced her flesh and the teen tried her best not to flinch away until all was over. Then, the doctor instructed her to eat a small blue ball.

"What is it?" She inquired, swallowing it the next second.

"Humm… how should I explain it…" He petted his beard. "Do you know what white cells are?"

"Yes."

The man seemed surprised for a bit. "Well… I guess you could say the round thing you ate was full of special food for those cells, and, similar to vaccines, it will make them grow into super strong versions of themselves."

"Ohhh…"

"So that you'll be better protected against most bacteria that find their way into your body. It works well to prevent mild poisonings too." He concluded his speech.

Dalia hummed in acknowledgment.

"Now, commander Marco is waiting for you just outside the unit. He told me on my way here that he wants you to go meet him, yeah?"

"Okay. Bye! And Thank you!" She said as she moved to the exit of the room and strolled down the well-lit corridor, out the metallic portal. As forewarned, the blonde pirate was there.

"Finished?" Marco asked, though not waiting for a reply. "Let's go."

* * *

Another world, huh.

The captain of the Whitebeard Pirates languidly sipped on his bottle of sake and contemplated its flavour under the sky's plentiful bright stars- stars that fought to illuminate the dark void they lived in and reminded him of his family. Meanwhile, the alcohol burned his throat. The sensation was welcomed, though, since it was almost as relaxing as the smell of the salty breeze.

He inhaled deeply and let his inside feel the cold of the night.

For so long he had traveled the seas, explored the numerous islands, met the most diverse people… but never had he ever heard of such a thing as another world. If he were to be honest, he wasn't even sure what that meant. What was a world, to begin with? As simple of a wonder it might be, he'd never actually pondered over the subject, never considered it relevant (wasn't the world what he saw every day?). And now, he was confronted with the existence of another. Something truly beyond his imagination.

Perhaps it was his fault, for he was too absorbed in taking care of his family to pay much attention to unrelated matters. However, regardless of how focused he'd been in the present, in his sons, in his territory, in the marines, in the Celestial Dragons, in the idiots who dared defy him, this type of information would have never escaped his awareness. It was too… interesting, for lack of better term.

The Government seemed to share his opinion on this.

Whitebeard gulped down some more of his drink.

Nothing could ensure him that their scientists were truly at the root of this situation, but there was no doubt they were, at the very least, conscious of it. And, accordingly, they were attempting to get a hold of anyone that had crossed the, now, blurred edges of both worlds. Were they planning on studying their technology? Use it for their personal interests? His experience told him yes, definitely. The Government would never miss an opportunity to be at an advantage and secure their rule over every ocean.

That being said, their greed wouldn't be satisfied with exploiting only the technology, Whitebeard _knew_ it wouldn't.

Even if the foreign folk did not have any superhuman abilities, the kid they had on board had proven to them they were an advanced civilization. Perhaps their discoveries, their knowledge, could be adapted, manipulated by the Government in a way that it would be useful to them. Surely that would bring a lot of problems to not only their crew but to every single group who had made themselves an enemy of the law. Maybe even those within it would be negatively affected.

If that was the most likely case scenario, Whitebeard supposed it would be for the best to stop them from collecting the foreign people.

Nonetheless, the parental side of him feared directly endangering his children for this. He was no hero, it wasn't his duty to watch over the world nor to sacrifice his beloved or his resources for that. His duty was to care for his children, and if he failed to do so, he would be a disgrace of a father- and _that_ he wouldn't permit.

Currently, his crew lived in peace. They were strong, united and happy, each moment was to be treasured. The occasional dumbasses or marines that tried to take them down were too easily dealt with, nothing to sweat about. He wasn't certain he was willing to mess with the Government and risk losing anyone from his large family. Would it be wise to clash with them? Would it be worth it? Well… the answer to the latter was affirmative. If the Government got too ahead of them then, like he'd inferred before, his crew would be in serious danger.

So, in the end, whatever he chose, there would be present the possibility of having those wonderful days ruined…

The captain groaned, his eyebrows involuntarily being knitted together tight above his shut eyelids.

Resuming his previous train of thought yet putting the rest of the world aside, since he'd be doing it for his selfish interests, for his crew, Whitebeard rationalized they'd, indeed, have to put a stop in the Government's plans. It could go severely wrong but if the corrupted organization got a hold of improved machinery no one stood a chance against, it could be a million times worse.

Therefore, he must prudently calculate his next moves and implement them without raising a single suspicion from anyone, fast.

What should be the steps? Whitebeard mused, taking yet one more sip of the alcoholic beverage.

First, gather the foreign folk ambling through the many islands he owned, free- who, along with Dalia, were all probably innocent. The child had not even a clue of what had happened to her to be dumped on a different world, according to Marco. Thus, he'd assume the remaining were in the same position.

Second, attempt to collect the folk that wasn't in his territory.

Third, send each of them to a safe location where little threats existed. A small, deserted and clandestine island on the calm belt sounded nice, except for the sea kings that would be surrounding it.

Fourth, avoid letting them die.

Fifth, investigate a way of sending the folk back to where they belong.

Sixth, yet something that would occur simultaneously, infiltrate into the governmental facilities, discover as much information as possible, as discreetly as possible, and attempt to sneak out the foreign folk imprisoned there, in case there were any.

That seemed to be the most reasonable course of actions, without any major conflicts.

Undeniably, if they were found in the middle of the act, they'd have to confront the most powerful officials and, perhaps, also fellow Yonkos. The government wouldn't go easy on them once they confirmed they also knew of this secondary world and could, potentially, use it like they themselves most likely intended to. The Yonko, on the other hand, if aware of this situation, would, in turn, try to take advantage of it too, an intention that would lead them to attack the opposing groups.

Whitebeard could already sense all going awry so, so easily... _How delightful_ , he mocked.

"Pops." Marco's gentle footsteps resonated throughout the air, which, combined with his voice, signaled the captain of his arrival before he could be seen.

Right beside, Dalia tagged along and the two came from behind the throne Whitebeard rested in to contour it and stand just in front of the powerful man.

"Here she is, Pops." The second-in-command put his palm on Dalia's back to nudge her forward an inch, aware she'd become a nervous wreck.

"Uh… Hi?" The girl mumbled, shy and uncomfortable due to the intense stare.

"Good night, child." Whitebeard greeted in return. "So, I've been informed that you are from another world. Is that correct?"

"...I-I think so…"

"Before I ask about that, could you enlighten me on what a 'world' is, to begin with?" The bearded man inquired while Marco crossed his arms and retreated a bit, so as not to put unnecessary pressure on the young female.

Said female fumbled for her phone and started typing on it hurried yet also hesitantly.

"How do I explain this… Imagine, you are inside a blue cube." It articulated. "And you've lived there your entire life, so its blue walls are all you've known."

There was a short pause when Dalia rewrote the sentence on the screen and the pirates waited to listen to it.

"In this analogy, the cube is the world and its blue walls are everything that is included in it, everything that composes that world, be it trees, rocks, birds, etc. I don't know if I was clear but… said uncomplicatedly, it's something like that."

Whitebeard hummed. "If that's how it is, then, since you came from another world, this analogy could illustrate it as you being from a neighboring cube, whose colours are not blue, right?"

"Uh… yeah." Dalia responded with her own vocal cords.

"Very well. Now, could you tell me a bit more about the world you came from? Its name is Portugal, you speak Portuguese and there's an ocean named Atlantic, you've already said it, but that's pretty vague, don't you think?"

"You've misunderstood me. My world's name is not Portugal, that's the name of my country, my world doesn't have a name. And there are actually seven oceans. Plus, not everyone speaks Portuguese, mostly people who live in Portugal or Brazil do. The other countries have their own language."

"I apologize for my mistake." Whitebeard spoke. "How many countries are there? How do you get along with each other if each has their own language?"

"Around a hundred and ninety-five. Some countries use the same language but to those that don't, we either learn the other's tongue or use a translator like I'm currently doing."

"And how do those translators work? How were they invented?"

"That...that is too difficult for me to answer. I mean, I could search it up but still, it's not exactly that simple or straightforward. And even if I knew and tried to describe, I'm sure you wouldn't comprehend. I don't think you have anything close to this type of technology."

"You're right, we don't. Regardless, aside from technology, could you point out the other differences you've seen between this world and your world until now? Also, for how long have you been here?"

"I've been here since… three days ago? Basically, since the day I boarded the ship. That's why I'm kind of unable to give you a proper reply to that too. I've barely seen anything." Dalia confessed, wiping her sweaty fingers on her pants in order to continue writing on the phone with ease.

"Yes, but there must be some nuances, no?"

"Well…three, that I remember." She disclosed. "The first thing I noticed, on the island- Ventus, right?- was that it was very… rural, I guess. There were no buses or cars or motorcycles, no street lamps, no skyscrapers or tall buildings. I didn't see any of the scenery I was accustomed to. No offense, but I felt like I had turned back in time, you seem to be _'behind_ ', if you get what I mean. T-"

"You showed Marco a map of your world, can you show a city too?" The old Captain interrupted.

"I can." Dalia revealed and did as requested.

The two males on deck leaned into the phone, both in their turn, and analyzed the image she'd put on display. It was a random image of various illuminated buildings, the first that had appeared when she'd googled 'city'.

Once done, the teen resumed her speech. "The second was Marco."

Confused, Marco fixed on her.

"He can transform into a phoenix. That's completely insane, impossible, in my world."

"Oh." Whitebeard chuckled. "It's insane here too, just not impossible."

"The third was all of you." Dalia announced.

"What do you mean?" The Captain raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You are pirates, and, albeit we also have pirates, they are nothing like you, on top of being almost non-existent in number. They don't have big ships, nor do they own any islands. In fact, most pirates nowadays are internet pirates, they only do stuff online. Meanwhile, it's painfully obvious you even fight."

"Online?"

"Uh.. yeah, when you have access to the internet, you are online."

"I see. Can you give me an example of the stuff they do... online?"

"Like, watch movies you didn't pay for?"

"What are movies?"

The girl muttered under her breath, the males noted, not that they understood what she'd said.

"Do you see this?" Dalia held the phone up and played one of the videos she'd taken of Marco's phoenix form. "This is a video. A movie is similar to this but it's way longer and usually it has a plot. People are paid to do them so the spectator must pay to watch them. It's illegal not to."

"People are considered pirates there for doing that?" Whitebeard scoffed. "Here pirates kill, loot and create absolute havoc."

"I'm certain they do…" Dalia's eyes trailed to Whitebeard's exposed torso, where huge scars were permanently etched on the skin.

"I'll be frank, you've rubbed me off as being a pacific and harmonious civilization. Does no one in your world fight?"

"That's far from the truth. We do fight." Dalia admitted. "To be honest, we're actually on the verge of a nuclear war."

"Nuclear? Could you elaborate?" Whitebeard implicitly demanded.

"A nuclear war is a war in which the weapons used are nuclear. Nuclear weapons are those that use the energy derived from the changes forced upon the nucleus of the atoms themselves. It's complex, you won't get it. What you need to know is that nuclear weapons are a devastating power that should never be used."

Whitebeard and his first mate exchanged a quick glance at each other.

"How devastating is their power? What do those weapons do?" The pirate captain interrogated.

Dalia hesitated before replying. She had a feeling that the pirates possessed an interior motive so as to try to extract information about this subject but considering they had no means of obtaining such weapons, she decided it was fine to reveal what they were trying to discover.

"I'll just talk about the atomic bomb, which is the worst of them all, and break it down into plain terms." The youth affirmed. "Imagine a bomb is detonated right above Ventus. Fist, the shockwave would destroy the entire city. As in, the city would vanish, be crushed to the point it'd turn to dust, along with the people. This, in less than a second. The shockwave would still be felt for many, many miles away, though."

Dalia gingerly erased the text and typed in another.

"Within those miles, whoever doesn't die from the initial blast, dies from the burns of the heat. Similarly, whatever that isn't destroyed, goes up in flames. In the center of the explosion, there would appear an unimaginably big fireball and what wasn't crushed, would be instantly vaporized. A huge mushroom cloud would also form, it would be the ashes of the city and anything nearby."

The blonde gulped while his captain stared intently at the girl, a drop of sweat running down his forehead.

"After that, whoever that didn't die but was still within the range of the bomb, will be left severely impaired. Blind, deaf, etc. The cells that composed their body would be damaged so their organs might start to malfunction, which could also lead to their deaths. But imagine they recover and proceed to continue to lead a relatively normal life and have kids. Then, the kids would be born with all sorts of mutations. On top of that, the zone the bomb decimated would be uninhabitable for numerous following decades due to radiation."

Again, she erased what she'd written.

"So, how devastating? I'd say extremely." At last, Dalia concluded her speech.

The three stayed frozen for a couple of moments.

Lots of thoughts were running on the pirates' minds and an unpleasant dread settled in their chest. Whitebeard cleared his throat.

"Child, I am going to request something from you." He announced.

Dalia seemed puzzled and fearful. "What?"

"Never, under any circumstances, reveal that to anyone else. Not even to your Guardian. From now on, 'forget' about your world and pretend you were born in ours, where none of what you know exists. If anybody asks where you're from, merely say 'a distant island in the New World'. Do not mention Portugal, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nothing. Only the commanders and I will know of that. Plus, don't speak your language."

"S-sure...but why?" She stuttered, slightly squeezing her phone out of anxiety.

"If you do, you'll be hunted down and exploited by the Government, yoi." Marco finally spoke up after having spent the entire conversation on mute. "And if that happens, bad things will wait for us in the future. And you are included too, they'll force you to work for them."

"We are aware you have no home right now." Whitebeard began. "You have no means to sustain yourself, you don't know anyone and are pretty much defenseless. Let's do it like this: I'll let you live on this ship; we'll help you survive, adapt to this world and find a way of sending you back. In return, you'll keep quiet about this. Does that sound good?

Dalia pondered the offer.

"Yes. The problem is… how do I know whether I can trust you or not? What guarantee do I have that you won't exploit me too? Or kill me, since you don't want me known so much."

"We have no reason to. We only want to live in peace, but if the Government discovers you or the rest of your kind, that won't be possible anymore." The bearded man told honestly. "Don't worry, we'll never harm you, you have my word on this. My family and I do not enjoy tainting ourselves with innocent blood."

Reluctance weighted on Dalia but she ended up agreeing. "Okay…"

"Good. Now, I believe I've kept you awake for a little too long. You should go rest, Marco will accompany you to the medical unit." The captain declared. "Good night, child."

"Good night, uh, sir." She responded.

* * *

'Como te amo, cama…' Dalia commented internally the instant she laid down on the white sheets of her designed cot.

(T: How I love you, bed…)

More than the past few hours, the past few _days_ had been a killer ride and the youth was utterly exhausted. She hadn't even had a moment to alleviate the stress she'd gotten from school before being thrust into another, much more stressful situation.

Truthfully, compared to this, school didn't seem so bad anymore.

What she'd give to wake up the next morning in her own room, and prepare for classes in a hurry just like always because she'd sleep through her alarm. What she'd give so it all turned out to be solely a dream.

There was no point in mulling about that, though. For now, she should just focus on fixing her problems- and how lucky of her, to have gotten the help she'd need.

Dalia didn't entirely trust the pirates but was she close to it? Kind of, yeah. Not that she had much choice in the matter, it was either that or do everything on her own and it was plain obvious the latter would not go well. But, in addition to that, they had sounded so sincere…

' _ **...Don't worry, we'll never harm you…'**_

The sentences echoed in her mind.

' _ **...We only want to live in peace...'**_

She almost doubted her sanity for thinking that, for they were supposedly pirates, but it was true.

If they wanted to kill her, they'd have already done that, instead of offering her a bed, food, clothes and cured her disease. If they wanted to exploit her, they would not have asked her to behave like a plain person, like she possessed no amazing knowledge that could benefit them in some way. Of course, they'd questioned about weapons and she'd been worried when they had done that but it didn't appear it was for the reason she supposed it would be, considering the fact that they'd dropped the subject the moment they became aware of the weapon's existence, as if that had been enough and they wanted nothing more with them.

Notwithstanding, she'd still be on the lookout for any signal of trouble or betrayal from their side. The youth bought the pirates' words yet, a part of her rationality still told her to be cautious, since she'd met them merely days prior. It could all be a manipulation tactic and she'd be a fool for falling so fast.

Yet, currently, she wouldn't worry about that. Currently, it was time to sleep so sleep she would.

* * *

 **If you liked it or have constructive criticism, please, comment. Is it OOC? Moving too fast? Did you find any incoherence? I'm always down to improve my story, so don't be afraid to point things out! Regardless, I hope it was a pleasant read, goodbye! ;)**


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